Advent year
by kouken9493
Summary: Its all the drama of high school with the characters from Dissidia, I also pulled a few more characters from each respective game. Mostly CloudXLightning, some other pairings along the way too. Some explicit language and suggestive themes
1. Chapter 1

This can almost be considered a dissidia fanfic, but it contains more characters from each respective game than dissidia. It's also my first fanfic, and I've tried deviating away from my normal writing style which is too detail heavy. Anyways, I hope you like it, I'll try to update it every four days.

I know at first it sounds like Yuffie Vincent pairing, but just bear with it, it will eventually turn into CloudXLightning

**I do not own Final Fantasy I-XIII. All Rights go to Square Enix and their rightful owners**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Fall had just barely begun to grace midgar with its presence. The cool gentle winds guided the fallen leaves in a dance in the sky. The sky, tinted from the suns arrival, along with the leaves, left the impression of a golden sky. As Vincent stepped out of his car from the school parking lot, he paused to gaze at the sky. _A new school year, a new beginning_…only after noticing students already entering the school did he depart for his class. The main entrance of the school was adorned with cherry blossom trees, a beautiful sight to take in. As Vincent walked through the schools doors, he saw a familiar face. "Mr. Highwind, you know smoking on school grounds is prohibited," Vincent chided at his fellow co worker. "Come on; give a guy a break, can ya?" Cid replied, though he still put out his cigar. "You're setting a bad example for the students." "Speaking of students," Cid replied while looking over Vincent's shoulder "Looks like mister's teacher's pet has arrived, well, I'll leave you two be." Cid smirked while leaving for his class

"Wait, what?" Vincent replied looking back after seeing his most energetic student, Yuffie Kisaragi, running through the entrance

"VIIIIIINNNNNNCCCCEEEEENNNNNNT!" She yelled, tackling into him, knocking him onto the floor.

"Miss Kisaragi, you have to address me as Mr. Valentine while I am your teacher" Vincent grunted as Yuffie got off of him. "Sorry," she replied, scratching the back of her head. After he had gathered his papers, Vincent noticed Yuffie fidgeting. "Is everything okay Miss Kisaragi?" Valentine asked. Yuffie's face had already grown scarlet for quite some time now. "I….uh….well…I mean-I Just wanted to give you this!" Yuffie stuttered as she pushed a small present into Vincent's hands before running off.

"See you in 4th period!"

"Wait! Yuffie!...uh" Vincent gave up calling after her…_damn she can run fast_.

Vincent was even more unprepared for what lay inside the present. As he glanced up he noticed how empty the hall was. _Crap, I don't have time for this, my class is almost starting!_

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><p>"Hey sis!" Serah waved as her sister Lightning entered the classroom flustered.<p>

"Would it kill your boyfriend to have a car!" Lightning replied when she had caught her breath.

"Hehe, sorry, but at least its good exercise!" Serah attempts as a joke, but shrank behind her desk from Lightning's glare.

"Down girl, don't blame your sister for what you don't have," teased Vanille

"WHAT!"

"Vanille, please stop teasing Lightning," Terra chided "Did you guys hear about the new student?"

"Isn't it a guy this time? Wonder what he looks like…" Rikku said, mostly to herself, then started to daze off into space

"Please, why fantasize about a man that already exists, as in moi" retorted Snow, starting to flex his muscles. Lightning jabbed him in the stomach, silencing the show off

"I don't know how my sister tolerates you-" Lightning began, before the sound of a motorcycles engine revving outside the classroom interrupted her and drew everyone's attention. The whole class crowded around the windows to see a blonde teenager park a sleek custom black motorcycle into the parking lot.

"Whoa!"

"He's cute."

"I wonder if he's single?"

"Ahem!" All the class looked back from the glass to see an agitated Vincent standing at his desk. "If you would be so kind to return to your seats so I may start class." Everyone made a scramble for their desks. While their teacher at most times was calm, nobody ever wants to piss him off. The fact that he was an infamous gang leader in his youth only made his students more careful around him. By the time the students had taken their seats and quieted down, the new guy had already walked in. Lightning wasn't the only one to notice, most of the single girls in the class were already looking him over. She noticed he was taller than most average guys, a little shorter than Snow though. His bright blonde hair spiked up in several directions, a style that he pulled off. Though what caught her interest the most was his blue eyes. _How are his eyes like that? Sure, mine are blue too, but they don't glow like his do…_she thought. Then she realized that she must have been staring too hard as the new guy looked back. Embarrassed, she quickly turned away and pretended to look out the window.

"As you all know, we have a new student today. He is the son of a personal friend of mine and I hope you will treat him nicely." Everyone forced an innocent smile on. Mr. Valentine had a notorious reputation for punishing bullies. "Now, why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Uh, sure…" The blonde walked towards the middle of the blackboard. "My name is Cloud Strife, I just moved here two days ago…and, um…well, I'm not really good at these…" he mumbled to himself while scratching the back of his head.

"_He's shy"_

"_How cute"_

"Rikku! Vanille! It is rude to talk while someone is speaking! Do you wish to take disciplinary courses after school for proper etiquette!" Vincent yelled with a mad glint in his eye.

"No sir, sorry sir!" they said as they shrank behind their desks. No one wanted to ever go through that.

"Very well, Claire, since your schedules match, will you be so kind as to show Cloud around the school?"

"Huh?" Lightning snapped back to attention, "oh, uh-"

"Great! Cloud, why don't you take a seat next to Lightning for the time being?"

"Uh, sure."

After Cloud sat next to her, Lightning had to endure the jealous looks from the other students for the rest of the class.

"!"

"Well, that's all for today, read chapters one and two for homework, now on to your next class."

As the other students shuffled away to their next class, Lightning walked over to Cloud.

"Next class is P.E. You can get lost here pretty easily, so follow me."

"Sure." For the next few minutes they walked in an awkward silence. "So…Claire, was it?"

"Call me Lightning."

"Okay, so how is it here Lightning? At school I mean."

"Its…okay, just stay away from certain idiots like-"

"Hey new guy! What's up?" Interrupted Snow

"-this guy "

"Hey Cloud!" Serah said as she popped out from behind Snow, well, he was pretty easy to hide behind

"Uh, hi."

"I'm Claire's sister."

" I'm Snow, Serah's boyfriend" Snow seemed to emphasize the last part while shaking his hand. _What, is he jealous of Cloud now? _Lightning mused to herself.

"Nice to meet you."

Snow grinned a little as he put some pressure in his grip. _So that's the way he wants to play it huh?_ Cloud smirked as he crushed Snow's knuckles.

"Owowowowowowow, mercy! Mercy!" Snow pleaded as he started to kneel from the pressure.

"That's what you get from trying to intimidate the new guy" Lightning chuckled as Snow nursed his aching hand.

"Man, that's one hell of a grip you have there, do you do boxing or something?"

"Uh, well I do practice Kendo, so maybe that factors into it."

"Kendo! Hey my sis does Kendo too!"

"Really?" He looked over at Lightning, as if questioning the validity of the statement. _Oh great, another sexist guy._ "What? You thinking a girl can't-"

"Actually, I was going to ask you what Dan (note: dan is your rank in Kendo) you are."

"What?"

"I had a couple of friends in my previous kendo club who were girls."

"Oh…well, I'm second Dan, you?"

"Uh, I just barely got to second Dan a while back."

Before Lightning could ask anymore, she noticed the thinning crowd of students. "we better hurry, or we'll be late."

"Yeah, you're right."

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><p>"Hey look, it's the new guy"<p>

"What a cutie."

"Pretty easy on the eyes too."

She rolled her eyes at the four girls whose eyes were glued to the window observing 2nd period's P.E. class. Well, she couldn't really blame them, Ultimecia's lectures were usually dry.

"Hey, Terra, you had him last period, what's his name?"

"Uh, I think he said his name was Cloud?"

Tifa snapped back to the group of girls "What did you say?"

"Uh, that then new guy's name is Cloud?"

"Really?"

Terra was a little taken aback by Tifa's sudden question. "Um..yeah, I think so."

"Are you sure? Because-"

"Miss Lockheart, am I interrupting anything?"

"Um, no Miss, I'm sorry." Tifa endured the snickers of her fellow classmates as she retreated behind her desk. _Cloud…I can't believe he's actually here…_

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><p>It was lunch time, and Serah had invited Cloud to their hangout on the roof which no one else knew about. As usual, Serah, Snow, Tidus, and Vanille were the first to be at the hangout. "Hey! New Guy! Over here!" Snow waved.<p>

"Snow! He has a name you know." Lightning scolded.

"Ah right, Cloud was it? Come on over." Tidus got up as Cloud and Lightning approached

"Hey Cloud, the names Tidus," he said as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you."

"So, anyways, Cloud," Snow butted in "couldn't help noticing that bike of yours, c'mon, don't tell me that's a real Fenrir!"

"What's a Fenrir?" Lightning asked, and judging by the looks from her friends, a question they wanted to ask too.

"A Fenrir is a luxury motorbike. They cost thousands!"

Even Lightning was impressed. "So, is it really a Fenrir?"

"Yeah."

"You're shitting me."

"No I'm not."

"Dude, those things are cost a fortune, how the hell did you afford one!"

"Well, one of my uncles gave it to me as a gift."

"You're uncle must be loaded!"

"Enough boy talk, lets talk about something important!" chimed in Vanille.

"Um…okay, what?"

"Sooo Cloud, do you have a girlfriend?" Cloud and Lightning both do a spit take.

Vanille didn't stop and edged closer to a flustered Cloud, "So, do you have one or not?"

"Uh…no, not at the moment, no."

By that time Vanille had already closed the distance between them, and drawing a circle on his chest with her index finger "Then how bout it, huh? Wanna-"

Terra soon arrived, "Hi guys, sorry if I'm late!"

"Not at all" Serah replied, grinning when she noticed Cloud had used the distraction to back away from Vanille a bit. By this time a second figure came into view, a girl with long hair. "Vanille! You're scaring the new guy!" Fang scolded. She walked up to Cloud and offered her hand, which Cloud shook after a moment's hesitation. "So you're the talk of the school."

"Huh?"

"It's not everyday someone rides into school with the motorcycle equivalent of a Ferrari."

"Yeah, aren't you afraid someone might jack it?" Snow cut in.

"Oh, don't worry, I added a few features just for that purpose" Cloud replied with a devious grin. As if on cue, a giant flash of light erupted from the student parking lot accompanied by someone's scream. The whole group walked to the edge of the roof to see a burnt and twitching Zidane lying next to Fenrir, several people had already started to crowd around the poor thief. "Stay away from my bike or next time I'll go down there and personally kick your ass!" Cloud hollered. He turned around to see the whole groups jaws slack. Lightning was the first to recover. "Uh, Cloud, what the fuck exactly happened?"

"Thundagra proximity mine."

"WHAT!"

"A Thundagra proximity mine. Anyone I do not authorize touching my bike gets zapped." Cloud replied with the a grin. "Think of it like a bug Zapper."

"More like twenty tazers to your ass," Snow replied, throwing an arm around Cloud's shoulders, "Cloud, I like the way you think" he grinned. Cloud merely just looked over to Lightning "Should I be scared?" Much to Snow's irritation, everyone started laughing

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><p>Well, there's the first chapter, nothing much major has happened, it's an introduction after all. And c'mon, Cloud had to have some kind of security system for his bike in EDGE. And sorry about that all you Zidane lovers, I just couldn't resist using him for Cloud's 'example.' Don't worry, he'll walk it off….eventually. All reviews are welcome.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here it is, the next chapter. I had a little trouble thinking of a scenario to best continue from the first chapter, and this is what I got. I do not own any of the Final Fantasy series

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><p>The bell for the last period rang, announcing the end of school for the day. The only exception to this being club members. Lightning slowly worked her way against the flow of students trying to make it to the kendo club. There were mainly two reasons why she joined the club in the first place: One, because she loved it, and two, because it was a great stress outlet. Most of the days when Snow wouldn't stop bugging the hell out of her she would vent that into her practice. Today though, she felt calmer. She thought about the new guy Cloud. When she first saw him drive up in his motorcycle, she thought he would be another Snow. Annoying, Loud, Doesn't know when to shut up. Cloud was none of these though. Except for the joke at lunch, Cloud hadn't talked much at all. Sure, he was polite and talked when addressed, but never started a conversation. She guessed it was a nice change compared to her otherwise noisy companions.<p>

"Hey Lightning! Hurry up!" Luneth's yell interrupted her flow of thought, from which she recovered from and hurried towards her fellow club member. Luneth was an underclassman, a freshman, Lightning being a sophomore herself. Despite his size, he was a fairly skilled student, when he didn't let it get to his head. "Shit, how late are we?" Lightning cursed as she noticed that absence of students from the halls. "You don't want to know!" Luneth retorted, skidding before running around the corner. "Shit." Angeal, their teacher, was not exactly forgiving when it came to tardiness. Finally they reached the clubroom. After peering inside, both of them heaved a collective sigh after noticing Angeal was not present yet and some other members were still putting on their gear. They slowly tiptoed into the room. "Looks like he's gone for the moment, lets hurry so we can-" The next moment, two large whacks resounded throughout the room "TRY TO SNEAK INTO CLASS WILL YA!" boomed their instructor's voice. Everyone turned and snickered at Luneth and Lightning holding their heads in pain.

"damnmit…"

"Fuck…" Lightning could already feel the bump coming in.

"Normally for tardiness, I would make you two scrub down the whole place using only toothbrushes, but today I'm lenient since we have a newcomer to the group. So get suited up, NOW!" Angeal barked. Both of them went to their respective gear without further instructions, Angeal hated lollygagging. After both of them suited up, they joined the rest of the students, which wasn't much to say. The only other decent student besides Lightning and Luneth was Firion. All the rest were either Lightning's fangirls or guys just trying to look cool. "_You guys know who the new member is?"_ whispered Firion. Lightning and Luneth merely shrugged. They all straightened up as their instructor started to address them. "Today we'll be receiving a new member to this club. He has had quite a past in this sport, but nonetheless he is dedicated and driven. I believe he will draw some new life into this club." Angeal looked to the door to his left, "You may come in now." The sliding door creaked as Cloud walked in. Something about him, his cold demeanor, the unreadable face, made him look like a picture from a history book. His blue eyes glowed all the more in contrast to the dark uniform. Unlike others whom never seemed right in the uniform, right now it looked as if the uniform was tailored for him. "_You okay Lightning?_" Luneth inquired, only then did Lightning she had been staring at him for a while. "_I'm fine_" she retorted, ignoring the female members giggling.

"It brings me great joy to have another 2nd Dan member!" Angeal bellowed, thumping Cloud on the back. "With all due respect, instructor, I have only recently made 2nd Dan, I am still a novice in many ways" Cloud replied.

"Nonsense! You are too humble for your own good. Who would have ever thought, the famous 'Berserker,' being humble!" Angeal said, followed by another thump on the back. Lightning noticed a look of recognition in Firion's eye. "_Can't believe it's a guy like him_" Firion whispered to no one in particular. _"Huh?_" Luneth looked confused, "_Wait, you mean he is THE Berserker_!"

"_What are you guys talking about?_" Lightning asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"_The Berserker. He's a guy rumored to have never lost in a kendo competition. He even went to a match with a broken arm and won! Once, when facing his teacher, he knocked out his teacher and broke his bokuto using only a shinai!" _Luneth whispered back in awe. Lightning couldn't help but be interested now, looks like she had found another sparring partner. Angeal's booming voice brought her out of her train of thought "Now Cloud, were going to start warm up practices before sparring, but knowing you, maybe you just want to get in a fight?"

"Thank you instructor, but I'll be fine with-"

"Excuse me instructor!" Lightning interrupted raising her hand.

"Yes, Claire?" Lightning flinched at being addressed by her real name. Angeal was the only one who wouldn't call her by her nickname.

"I would like to request a match with our new member!"

"Oh ho! Looks like you're already popular Cloud!" Angeal snickered, along with several other members. Lightning steamed a little at this comment but let it slide. Cloud as always showed no reaction. "Very well then." Both Lightning and Cloud proceeded towards the sparring area and assumed a ready position. Angeal decided to postpone warm ups and let the other members watch.

"Begin!"

Lightning rushed forward with a furious offensive. She usually took out her opponents in a flash, hence her nickname. Though, try as she might, not a single blow of hers landed. Cloud swiftly parried each strike, not a movement wasted. Several minutes had passed by and still Lightning's efforts were in vain. Her arms began to go numb from overexertion, and her feet began to feel burdened with some unknown weight. The only consolation she thought from this was that Cloud must be feeling the same. She was soon proved wrong when Cloud began his offensive. Cloud's speed rivaled her own, each attack Lightning struggled to counter. Her arms were stinging from the effort. Then the unexpected happened. Cloud performed a Tsuki (thrust) straight at her throat, a move only used by senior Dan grades. Caught off guard, Cloud scored a point against her, landing it perfectly. Lightning fumed in her helmet. Just when she was about retaliate, Angeal stepped forward "That will be enough for now."

"Sensei!" Lightning retorted. Cloud had only scored one point; she could still make a comeback.

"Don't overexert yourself Claire! You're almost dead on your feet; this match is obviously in Cloud's favor." Angeal snapped. Lightning stood there fuming for several seconds. Angeal was even more stubborn than her. Both of them removed their helmets and bowed. Lightning face was flushed from the exertion, her hair damp with sweat. Cloud on the other hand looked normal. He didn't even have a single drop of sweat on his face! _What the hell is he?_ Lightning mused to herself. "Lightning, Cloud, you may take a small break before joining the rest of the class."

"Sensei!" Lightning protested. As Lightning and Angeal began their daily argument, most of the students backed away. Each one of them knew firsthand what happened when you steeped in between the two during these moments. Cloud was the only one that seemed unfazed. As their bickering grew louder cloud merely trudged closer to Lightning and grabbed her wrist. Lightning winced from the pain and immediately stopped her rebuttal in mid sentence "Ow! What the hell-" Cloud merely proceeded by taking off her right glove to reveal Lightning's swollen blue and purple wrist.

"Your grip shifted halfway through the match, you were holding it incorrectly. It's not bad, but if you overdo it, it could get worse." Lightning was dumbstruck, she hadn't even noticed it.

"Cloud's right Claire. Cloud, would you mind taking her to the infirmary?" Angeal concurred.

"Not at all sensei."

"Sensei! I'm not a child! I don't need an escort!" Lightning fumed.

"Says the student who was about to start practice with an injured wrist!" Angeal retorted. "Now get your stuff and go, you're excused from the rest of today's lesson." Lightning glared at Angeal for several seconds before giving up and going to the changing room to get her stuff. Cloud did the same and walked her out of the club room while Lightning endured the snickers from the rest of the club.

_Lucky_

_Keeping him all to yourself, huh?_

Lightning merely snarled at them, shutting them up before she left. The halls by now were empty, the only noises from the occasional club and their echoing footsteps. "I don't need someone looking after me" Lightning spat.

"…" Cloud didn't address her or even break his stride.

"So that's it! Now you're just gonna ignore me!"

"…"

"Oh, I get it! You don't talk to those beneath you, is that!" Lightning spat.

"Are you done?"

"Huh?"

"I know what I did was out of line, and I know that you're angry. But I do NOT consider you inferior." Cloud turned around to face her as if to emphasize that statement. "You're really good, you even had me up against the wall for a second. I can't wait to see how you improve." Before turning around, Lightning could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile. _He really is different from the others…_While Lightning was lost in thought; she managed to stumble on some club equipment some group left out their door. Before she could even blink, Cloud had turned around and caught her, her head cradled against his chest. "You okay?" he was so close his breath tickled her ear and she could hear the steady beat of his heart.

"I-I-I'm FINE!" She yelled, breaking away and walking quickly, not wanting him to see her scarlet face. "Anyways, c'mon, aren't you supposed to escort me to the infirmary?" she hollered over her shoulder. Cloud just stood there.

"Um, Lightning, the infirmary is this way" he said, pointing to the hall on their right.

"I knew that!" Lightning retorted, turning towards the right path.

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><p>Some readers said that the previous chapter's Cloud didn't seem to be in character, so I changed him so that he acts a little more like, well, Cloud. Don't worry, he won't always be impassive. And I'm sorry Kendo fans, when I finished I found out that such a move in a match would not be allowed amongst low rank Dans, but I'm too lazy to fix it, so please don't kill me.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter, hope you guys like it, any reviews are welcome!

I do not own Final Fantasy or Dissidia.

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><p>Lightning found herself once again rushing to school. Kendo practice, the injury, going to her part time job with her sister, and homework never left her much time for rest. This morning she saw the dark circles underneath her eyes. The apartment that she shared with her sister was not what you would call close to the school. 34 blocks doesn't necessarily entail a long trip by car, but walking was another thing entirely. That coupled with the crowds of people embarking on their morning commute, made the trip hell. As lightning rushed to the crosswalk before the light ended, a passerby jostled against her, knocking her to the floor and scattering her books. "ASSHOLE!" She hollered over her shoulder as she scrambled to gather her books from the street before the traffic started again. As she picked up the last of her textbooks she heard the familiar throttle on a motorcycle.<p>

"Lightning?" Lightning looked up to see Cloud looking over her. "Need any help?"

"No, I'm fine, I'll be alright." Truth was though that her injury from yesterday's kendo match still ached, stinging from carrying her books, but she would never let him know that.

"How about I give you a ride to school?" Lightning was a little taken back by his sudden offer. She thought he would be the type who would never let anyone touch his ride, she knew some idiots who were like that.

"I-uh, I think I'll be fine walking. Besides, I'll need a helmet…" Lightning muttered.

"It's 15 minutes till class, and we have Vincent for first period." Lightning swore under her breath, she was not even halfway there and there was no way she could sprint that distance in under 15 minutes. "And besides, I have a spare," Cloud continued, producing an extra helmet from one of the storage compartments.

"But what about the thun-" she began. She really didn't mind the ride, she just hated the feeling of owing someone. Cloud brought the motorcycle to the side of the road and grabbed Lightning's uninjured hand.

"Fenrir, acknowledge." Cloud said aloud. An indiscreet monitor flashed as Cloud pressed Lightning's hand against a segment above the monitor. "_Say your full name_" Cloud whispered.

"Claire Farron." Lightning stated after a moment's hesitation.

"ACKNOWLEDGED" ringed a monotone reply.

"Okay, c'mon. Before we waste anymore time." Cloud said as he mounted Fenrir and handed Lightning her helmet. It was a simple black helmet with a visor, with a white 7 emblazed on one side. She donned the helmet and sat on the back a bit away from Cloud. "You might want to hold on," He said over his shoulder.

"I'll be fine, just drive" Lightning retorted and he just shrugged and started off in the direction of the school. Lightning soon regretted it. Fenrir accelerated so fast and smoothly that she almost fell off and desperately clung to Cloud's back. Cloud chuckled.

"What!" Lightning yelled, both flustered and irritated.

"Nothing, you just reminded me of someone I knew." He called over. The rest of the ride was enjoyable. With the steady hum of the engine and the smooth ride, Lightning found the experience calming. At least she could understand the attraction to motorcycles. She found herself almost nodding off towards the end of the ride. "Lightning, we're here." Lightning realized she had been lying against Cloud's back with her arms intertwined around his waist.

"Oh, um, thanks, well-" Lightning pulled away quickly stumbled off of the bike. There were still a couple of students who were still making their way to class. Quite a few had stopped to watch Lightning arrive on the new guy's bike. "Well, I guess-"

"Lightning?"

"Yes?"

"Um, you know," Cloud pointed towards his head "the Helmet?" A few snickers accompanied his remark and Lightning reddened considerably under the helmet. _Idiot idiot idiot idiot!_ Lightning admonished herself in her head as the snickers grew. Cloud turned to the slightly growing crowd, and they quickly silenced themselves and went off on their way, which Lightning was silently grateful for. As she handed him his helmet, one student approached them.

"Cloud?" Both Lightning and Cloud looked to the student, whom Lightning recognized immediately. Tifa Lockheart, the beauty of the school and the object of all the boys' affection. She noticed that Cloud's face remained impassive as ever, but his eyes displayed a hatred that was held in check. He ignored her and proceeded to gather his things. Tifa hesitated, but continued. "It's nice to see you again Cloud."

"…"

"How is Zack?"

"Dead." Tifa seemed shocked and saddened at this reply. Lightning felt she was intruding on something she shouldn't be hearing, but for some reason no matter how much she willed it, her feet would not move.

"Cloud, I'm…I'm so sorry…"

"…"

"I was just…I was just hoping that we could talk…" Cloud got his backpack and walked past her, his face revealing no emotion.

"Lightning, we're gonna be late for class." He called over his shoulder. Tifa merely looked down, rooted to the spot. Lightning followed, ignoring the stares from the others.

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><p>"But principal!"<p>

"Cecil,"

"You know how much of a danger he exposes the students to, how could you let him attend here!" Cecil yelled. The principal's office was bare except for the desk and two chairs. The white walls and ceiling lit the room alight from even the slightest shimmer of sunlight from the window.

Cosmos sighed. "Cecil, I know you are only concerned for the well being of your fellow students. I admire that. But can't you understand his predicament as well?"

"I used to be a street thug, not a former Gang hitman" Cecil retorted.

Cosmos was beginning to be irritated. "Look, Cecil, his mistakes are greater than yours, but he paid for them and still is, and is trying to start over. I don't want to hear anymore about this topic, relay it to the rest of the student council." The Vice president of the Student Council took the hint and left the office. Cosmos turned to the student file that lay on her desk, and more importantly, a traffic incident report within the folder.

_September 30__th__,0007_

_On route 57 around 11 pm, a car was found smashed into the divider on the driver's side. Upon further inspection, police found the vehicle riddled with several bullet holes and speculated it as a gang shooting. Students Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough are confirmed dead due to blood loss. The Third, a student by the name of Cloud Strife, was taken to Shinra medical to be put under intensive care due to his critical condition…_

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><p>"Lightning."<p>

"huh?" Lightning looked up from her note taking to see Exdeath, their Biology teacher and Vice President of the student council looking expectantly at her. "The student council needs you. Will she need to bring her backpack?" this last part he directed towards Cecil.

"No, we only require her for a brief moment."

"Very well, Lightning, hurry along." Lightning exited the classroom much to her puzzlement. Cecil led her to the student council room. Light was the first to speak.

"Miss Farron, please, take a seat."

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><p>During lunch Zidane had joined the group at their hideout. Tidus, Cloud, Snow, and him were currently engaged in a group of poker, the pot growing considerably.<p>

Zidane: :I

Snow: :P

Tidus: :/

Cloud: -_-

Zidane: I raise by 5 bucks!

Snow: dammit…

Tidus: Shit I'm out…

Cloud: -_- (puts money in silently)

Zidane: I _Man, he's a tough one. His face is a mask! I can't read him…shit, he might be bluffing, or he could have a killer hand, hmmmm…_ I check

Cloud: -_- raise ten bucks

Zidane: tch, fine (throws in ten buck)

Cloud: -_- check

Zidane: :) check

At this point the whole group became engrossed in the game, and finally came the time to show their hands

"Hah! Read em and weep!" Zidane yelled proudly, showing his two pairs, one of aces and the other kings. Cloud showed no reaction and showed his hand

"Royal Flush."

"EHHHHHHHH!" leaving Zidane dumbstruck while he collected the pot, a total of $87. Zidane fumed. "I WANT A REMATCH!"

"Not interested."

"Why? Afraid you'll lose?" Zidane taunted with a smug grin.

"Not really," countered Cloud. "One, I think Snow and Tidus just lost all of their wallets. Two, you're probably broke right now since you lost the pot. Three, your tail gives you away," Cloud silently tallied all the flaws in Zidane's ploy.

"What! Really?" Zidane looked over his back at his tail. He never thought so.

"Your tail twitches when you have a good hand, it lies against the floor when you have a bad one."

"When did you figure that out?"

"After your first hand."

"Damn, remind me never to gamble against you unless I'm wanting to go broke!" Zidane joked, the rest of the group joining.

"Don't worry, I won't." Lightning by that time had joined the group. She had been a little apprehensive since Cloud was going to be there. After hearing everything from the student council, she couldn't believe Cloud had that kind of shady past. He just seemed the more reserved type than the dangerous type. Cecil's words still rung in her head _avoid him unless you wish to put your sister in danger_. The group welcomed her when they noticed her and gestured for her to sit down. Still, it wouldn't help to find out. She recalled a part of Cecil's conversation _When he was with the gangs, he was ruthless, and would pummel anything standing in his way, he was given the moniker 'Buster Sword.'_

"Hey Cloud, you're from Nibelheim right?"

"Yeah."

"I was wondering…" Lightning pondered how to best phrase this question, "If you would know this guy I heard about form there?"

"Okay, sure," Cloud responded, the whole group listened in, curious.

"Well, I don't know his real name-"

"Him?" Zidane teased, wagging his eyebrows. Lightning socked him in the gut, much to the groups laughter. "You know that's not what I meant. Anyways, Cloud, he had a nickname, I believe it was Buster Sword?" Cloud tensed and his eyes darkened.

"Where did you hear that name?" he asked quietly. The atmosphere in the group was uneasy from Cloud's dramatic change from the norm.

"Uh, you know, gossip, heard he was a good fighter. Wondered what it'd be like to face him" Lightning lied. Fang from the martial arts club was interested at this. "Cloud, who is this buster sword?"

"Forget about him." And turned back to his meal, much to the groups disappointment. They continued to plead him to go on, until finally Cloud gave in. "Fine! You really wanna know! He was a sweeper for a gang, their hitman! As long as the pay was good, it wouldn't matter who the target was!" Everyone was slightly taken aback from Cloud's violent outburst, Lightning wondered if she had taken it too far. "Lightning, forget about him, if you faced him, he would kill you without hesitating!" Lightning was a little angered by this last comment, she never liked be pointing out as inferior.

"Then tell me, why the hell he didn't kill me in that kendo match yesterday, huh!" she retorted, then realizing what she said clasped her hand over her mouth. Cloud anger was replaced by surprise, while everyone looked back and forth between Cloud and Lightning perplexed.

"Wait, Claire, didn't you say you and Cloud-" Serah ventured before realizing it. The whole group backed away from Cloud, several muttering curses. Fang and Snow shielded Serah and Vanille behind them, already in a defensive stance. Cloud looked at them a little sadly and proceeded to gather his things. "It seems I've overstayed my welcome. I'm sorry for any inconvenience." He said, bowing his head slightly before leaving.

"Yeah, I think it's about time you get the hell out." Snow growled after him.

Several minutes after his departure Terra had arrived, with another girl in tow, "Hey guys," she waved. Several of the group waved back. "This is where Cloud hangs out with-" she addressed to Tifa before she cut in.

"Where is Cloud?" Several of the group looked away, unsure of how to answer. Lightning was the first to speak up

"I think it would be best for you to stay away from Cloud, Tifa, for your own well being."

"Oh, so you know? I mean, his past job?"

"How did you find out?" Lightning questioned, the student council told her that besides her, only the faculty knew.

"I grew up with Cloud. I know that he's made many mistakes, but he's really a nice guy."

"A guy who kills for money, yeah, now I see what a wonderful person he is" Snow sarcastically quipped in. Tifa shot him a dark look.

"He didn't want to do it!" She shot back.

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked.

"Well, like I said, we grew up together. We were great friends. Our families pretty much lived together, since his dad walked out on him when he was two. When Cloud was nine, his mom grew ill and couldn't work anymore. Their savings didn't even begin to come close to covering her treatment. So, Cloud went to the gangs for work. His mom was the only family left for him, he didn't want to lose her... it took him six years, but he finally came close to covering the cost….hic…" Tifa didn't know when, but she started to cry. Everyone remained silent. The backflow of painful memories, she thought she had overcome them by now. "But by then," she continued "Cloud was infamous in the underground. One of his targets had connections, and they killed his mother. It looked like an accident. But Cloud…he told me he knew…he told me that she died because of him…" She stopped for a while to try to control her sobbing. Zidane shuffled forward and gave her a tissue. "Thanks." Zidane smiled weakly. There were times for flirting and pick up line, this was not it. "After that, he stopped caring… he didn't care who he was fighting…I think he was just trying to find a way to die. After that, my parents decided to move, and that was the last time I saw him until now." Lightning was silent throughout the whole speech, and understood Cloud. When her and Serah's parents died, Serah had been her emotional pillar. She wondered if she would have been just like him if she was alone.

The group stayed silent for a few moments, surprisingly, Snow was the first to break the tension. "Damn, now I feel like a complete asshole." He muttered.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day Cloud maintained the distance between the rest of the group. They had decided the best time to confront him was after school. They didn't get the chance. Before the last bell even rang, trouble rolled out in front. Several bikers and sports cars were already blockading the front of the school. As if to confirm the students fears, a red sportscar rolled up, tattooed in big white letters "LOVELESS." It was the SCARLET gang. Lightning and her friends knew who they were after. Teachers were running through the halls, telling students to stay in class and away from windows. Lightning saw Cloud running through the halls, With Cecil in pursuit.<p>

"Cecil!" Lightning called running after them, Cecil finally catching hold of Cloud. "What the hell happened?"

"One of the students outside the room used Buster here as a threat against some local thugs" a disgruntled Cecil replied. Cloud started to run towards the student parking lot. "Where the hell do you think you are going?" Cecil yelled, giving chase once more.

"Drawing them away, it seems only fair since I caused this I fix it. Call the police and several ambulances." He called over his shoulder.

"Wait, Cloud, you can't be serious!" Lightning pleaded, almost every one of them had a nail bat or a gun, and as much as she heard about Cloud, he wasn't bulletproof. He didn't even break his stride and was already out the doors.

* * *

><p>Genesis slowly stepped out his car as his prize rode forth. "Ah, the infamous Buster Sword. I must say it is a pleasure to see you again."<p>

"I don't recall meeting you."

"Ah, forgive my rudeness. I am Genesis, Head of SCARLET. I was one of your, indirect, employers. I must say you have quite a reputation. I am in need of skills like yours, and would like to offer you a position as my right hand man."

"As promising as that sounds, I am no longer in that line of business."

"I am afraid you are mistaken, my friend, you see, that was not an offer." Genesis said with a cold glare.

"It seems you are mistaken, for let me tell YOU something…"

* * *

><p>"Zidane, what's he saying?"<p>

"Tidus! Stop breathing down my neck, it's hard to hear!" Tidus, Zidane, and Snow were all crowded around the open slit of the window, listening in on the conversation. Their teacher, Laguna, was too busy dealing with a hysterical student to admonish them. They then heard Cloud's long comeback, which, if aired on T.V. would primarily be sensor *BEEEEEEEP*'s.

"Oh DAYUM, SHIT JUST GOT REAL FOLKS!" Snow said after Cloud had finished. Sure enough, an angry looking Genesis barked an order and all of the gang started to close in. Cloud revved Fenrir and drove circles around the mob, speeding off towards the highway which was mainly empty during this time. Several of the students just looked off at where Cloud left, even though they could no longer see them. Tifa was still running around looking for Cloud and until the schools T.V. monitors turned on broadcasting a news flash, answering Tifa's question of where Cloud was. The whole school's attention was focused on the broadcast and the footage it showed of a blonde in a black motorcycle being pursued by a mix match mob of motorcycles and cars.

"We interrupt you're program for an important news bulletin. A gang whose influence has become increasingly spread throughout Midgar, known as SCARLET, have gathered in mass perusing one man on eastbound 257 for reasons unknown." Two motorcycles closed in on cloud from both sides, each holding a gruesome looking nail bat. As they prepared to take swings Cloud turned a full 180, facing them and instantly revving his motorcycle into reverse, earning a collective praise from the school.

"Damn showoff" Snow praised.

He then drew out what Lightning instantly recognized as the bokutos from the kendo clubroom. Using two deft swings he knocked the two other riders off their rides, sending them tumbling away. He then turned back and continued to lose them. The whole school was on the edge of their seats. It was like taking place in an action movie. They could hear dull pops from the news feed.

"They've opened fire!" The Newscaster yelled. Cloud swerved frantically, as though hit. As the gunfire intensified he turned around again, this time the casing on the sides of his motorcycle slid out horizontally and angled themselves, almost making a shield, gunfire flecking across its surface. _No, please, please, Cloud…_Tifa almost collapsing, her legs growing weak.

"C'mon Cloud, get the hell out of there!" Snow yelled. The chasers slowly edged up closer to Cloud, soon they would be on either side of him, and he would be torn to shreds. As the camera paneled out they saw a big rig up ahead of the commotion, which caught an unlucky bullet to the tire, send it rolling on its side, covering the entire lane.

"Oh crap!" Said Cosmos, shocking several of her students. Cloud turned and closed the flaps of the motorcycle, since the drivers were too panicked to shoot anymore. And just before the truck crushed him, he slammed Fenrir on its side, sliding underneath in a shower of sparks before coming to a stop, the others were not as lucky, colliding with the big rig in a series of explosions. By then several cop cars were on scene as well as a few ambulances, though now it seemed there would hardly be a use for them. "Police have entered the scene and wait, whats this? The motorcyclist is running towards the wreck?" The Newscaster narrated as the school saw Cloud go in the inferno only to immerge with the battered driver of the truck. The school erupted in applause.

* * *

><p>The next day the school was brimming with the tales of Cloud's bravado, but still quieted down when Vincent walked into the room. Though immediately Vincent was bombarded with questions.<p>

"Mr. valentine, where's Cloud?"

"Is he okay?" and so forth.

"Calm down now, he's fine. He suffered two bullet wounds and is recovering in the hospital. He'll be back in a couple of weeks." But soon saw that his class's attention was on the blonde teenager in the doorway.

"I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Valentine." Cloud said, as if everything was ordinary. The class just stared at him.

* * *

><p>During lunch the group looked for Cloud since he didn't come to the hangout spot, and heard he was in the infirmary. They saw his silhouette through one of the curtains and walked in. "Hey Cloud" Snow ventured first, "just wanted to say-HOLY SHIT!"<p>

"Snow! That's not-oh my gosh cloud, are you okay?" Serah said, understanding why Snow reacted the way he did. So did the rest of the group. Cloud sat on one of the beds, his shirt discarded to one side, as well as some blood soaked bandages. He was in the process of replacing them but the group could still see the grisly bullet wound near his collarbone. The group also noted the multitude of scars that covered his chest and back. How many times, Lightning wondered, how many times has he cast himself into these life or death scenarios. Cloud mistook their silence though.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave." He said, and slowly turned to gather his things.

"Wait, Cloud." Lightning reached forth and grabbed his arm, stopping him. "We just, we wanted to apologize."

"Yeah, didn't seem right what we did yesterday" Tidus spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"We judged you wrongly, listening to rumors before hearing your reasons." Fang said stepping forth.

Cloud eyes shown with understanding. "Oh, you talked to Tifa, didn't you?" he muttered.

Zidane sat himself down next to Cloud "Yeah, how about we make it up to ya? I'll give you a hookup for free. Just name your girl, and I'll make it happen." He winked, before Lightning slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"To keep your idiocy in check." While Lightning and Zidane quarreled , Cloud already went to the medicine cabinet, getting some disinfectant and other materials. After pouring a slob of disinfectant on a cotton swab Snow cut in "Um, you sure you want to do that pal? Its gonna sting like-" Cloud continued to swath the wound with disinfectant, his face unchanging. "It's alright, I've done this before a lot" Cloud replied, his scars serving as testimony several of the group sadly noted. After he had finished, he walked over to the bed the group now sat around to get his shirt. Lighting noticed the tattoo covering his left shoulder and upper arm, an intertwining web of black vines with the roman numeral I through XIII.

"Why the tattoo?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'd rather not talk about it" was his reply. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Snow decided to break the Ice.

"So Cloud, where the hell did you learn to do moves like those?"

* * *

><p>Gah, this was the longest chapter and the hardest to write. I'm still learning how to write action scenes. Reviews are welcome!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

In this Chapter we learn a little more about Cloud and those from his past, hope you enjoy! I do not own Final Fantasy or Dissidia

* * *

><p>Cosmos nearly had a heart attack when she found out Cloud had come to school, the ensuing lecture ringing through the halls. She prohibited him from attending any classes for the rest of the day, making him stay in the infirmary. Zidane, Serah, and Vanille pleaded to Cosmos until she gave in and allowed the group to stay with Cloud. While Zidane, Tidus, and Fang were playing a game of cards. It was break, and several girls stood crowded around the doorway to the infirmary looking at Cloud sitting on one of the beds. He still had not put on his shirt on, having to periodically change the bandages, but the girls didn't mind. Zidane looked up from their card game, and whistled "Man Cloud, you have your own fanbase!" he teased, causing Cloud to look at the crowd. Several of them blushed, pushing forward one of the girls with a package.<p>

"Um…we all made you something in cooking class," the blushing girl said, holding out a red wrapped package, "We hope you like it." Cloud took it and gave her a rare small smile.

"Thank you. I'm sure it's delicious." All of the girls faces blushed considerably, but soon left for class once they heard Mr. Valentine's voice.

"What are you girls doing here! Hurry of to class before I decide to give you detention!" His voice was soon accompanied by his entrance into the infirmary. "Hey Cloud, just thought I'd check up on you. What's that?" he said, noticing the gift in Cloud's hands.

"Chocolates, I think."

"It seems Clouds become pretty popular" Zidane teased. The group chuckled as Cloud reddened slightly. Vincent smiled, _at least he's making progress _he thought to himself. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you guys, privately" He addressed to Zidane, Tidus, Lightning, Serah, Vanille, Luneth, Fang, and Snow. The group slowly filed out of the infirmary.

"Teach, are we in trouble?" asked Tidus.

"Nonono, I actually wanted to ask you guys a favor" Vincent quickly explained.

"What do you mean?" Serah asked

"Well, how should I put this? Cloud isn't in any condition to go home, so I'm going to drive him home. But knowing him, he'll be against it. So once 7th period is over I need you guys to keep him in the infirmary till I get my car ready. Can you guys do that?" Vincent's plan was met with nods of approval from the group.

"No prob, I can hold him down till you get ready!" Snow grinned, flexing his arm for emphasis.

"I don't want you to hurt him though!" Vincent countered quickly. "Even though he doesn't show it, Cloud's weak right now, and any unnecessary force could cause injury."

"Don't worry Mr. Valentine, I'll keep the big lug in check" Lightning said.

"Hey!"

Vincent left the two to bicker while he left to make the preparations. _Tch, only thirteen minutes, damn Midgar's lack of parking space!_

* * *

><p>The group had returned and acted normally, but something was off, Cloud knew it. They crowded ever more nearer to the door, and kept watching the clock. Just then the last bell rung, and the halls were alive with the throng of students rushing home. Cloud put his book away, got his bag and put on his shirt, only to turn around and see Lightning and her friends blocking the door. "Is something wrong?" he asked.<p>

"Vincent told us to keep you here till he comes back. He's going to drive you home." Lightning said, as if an order.

"I'm fine."

"No man, you aren't" Snow chipped in. Cloud sighed and looked around, seeing a large window. He turned back to the group and slowly edged towards the window.

"Guys, I can drive myself home fine." He stated, slowly inching towards the window.

"Cloud, nobody walks off being shot twice overnight" Fang stated. None of the group noticed his intention. He reached over and opened the window.

"Sorry guys, see you tomorrow." He said before jumping out of the window, much to the group's surprise.

"Shit!"

"We're on the third floor!"

"He really is suicidal!" They made a mad dash for the window, only to see Cloud perform flip in freefall, than perform a roll upon landing. Looking back up at them he waved.

"DAMN SHOWOFF!" Snow yelled after him. Several students on the grounds just stood there with their jaws open. It was just like a scene from an action movie.

* * *

><p>As several students exited from the school gates they noticed a large sleek limo pulling up on the side of the road. Its side was emblazoned with the Shinra logo. Several security guards exited the limo, a teenager with long Silver hair exiting the limo. He wore a suit embroidered with the Shinra Academy logo, a top tier private school. Soon he was accompanied by two other younger silver haired men, wearing the same uniform, along with a girl with silver hair.<p>

"It's been so long since we've seen big brother" said Loz

"Why does big brother insist on going to such a shitty school?" Yazoo asked Sephiroth.

"Brother has his reasons, and we abide by them. Where is sister?" Sephiroth stated, looking at where Kadaj used to be. Yazoo pointed to the girls sprinting off towards the school grounds. "Dammit." He said as the three trudged off towards Kadaj

"Onii-Chan!"

* * *

><p>Cloud was almost at the student parking lot. By then the Zidane, Tidus, Luneth, Snow, Fang, Vanille, Lightning, Serah, Terra, and Vincent were beginning to catch up to him.<p>

"I said I'm perfectly fine!" he yelled over his shoulder, growing annoyed at them.

"No you're not!" yelled Terra

"Dammit Cloud! Slow down already!" yelled Snow. Just then Cloud turned around the corner of the building, and seeing his bike, ran towards the goal. Before he even got close to the parking lot he was tackled by Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj, who came out of nowhere.

"Big Brother!"

"Onii Chan!"

The group of friends stared at the odd group on the ground, which only grew odder when Sephiroth came over and bear hugged the group off the ground. "Cloud! Mother was so worried, and when we saw what happened on T.V., we just had to come see you! And when we couldn't find you at your apartment, we rushed over here!" Sephiroth said as he only squeezed harder. The whole group sweat-dropped. "Huh?" Sephiroth let the group down and opened Cloud's collar, revealing the once clean bandages to have become blood soaked. "When did this happen!"

"Onii Chan! Does it hurt?"

"Who did this!" Yazoo said with a mad gleam in his eye, Loz cracking his knuckles as if to emphasize the statement.

"I'm fine I'm fine." Cloud simply stated.

"Why didn't the doctors do anything!" Sephiroth yelled.

"They said I wasn't insured."

"Bullshit!" Sephiroth yelled, surprising everyone. "Those imbeciles! I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!" he said, taking out his cell phone. Several security men came forward as he did so. "Don't worry brother, we are taking you home" he said as several of the men picked up Cloud.

"I said I'm fine!" Cloud protested as he was carried off to the Limo. Sephiroth took a brief pause from his phone call to look over at the odd group.

"I presume you are Cloud's friends?" they all nodded. "Were any of you responsible for this incident?" he added with hint of malice. They all shook their heads. "Good!" he said walking towards the limo once cloud was put inside. He looked over his shoulder "Will you care to join us?"

"Huh?" Lightning questioned.

"It's not often Cloud has friends, I'm sure mother would love to see you" Sephiroth added. "My name is Sephiroth, and they are Loz Yazoo and Kadaj" he said as he gestured towards his relatives.

Zidane was the first to break from his stupor. "Wait! Sephiroth, as in the son of Shinra, owner of the Shinra Corporation and multi Billionaire! That Sephiroth!" everyone stood with their mouths agape.

"You flatter us, but yes, that is true," Sephiroth said walking to the limo. "But please, won't you join us." He said, gesturing towards the open car door. The group looked hesitantly, Lightning eventually being the first to enter the limo, with the rest following suit behind her.

* * *

><p>"Cloud, I don't understand" stated Lightning, "I thought you didn't have any living relatives." Snow, Luneth, Tidus, and Serah were busy watching the interior's plasma screen T.V., whereas Fang, Vanille, Terra, and Zidane were indulging themselves in snacks. Loz and Yazoo were sitting near Cloud on his left, while Kadaj leaning on Cloud's right shoulder. For some reason Kadaj's fawning irked her.<p>

Yazoo intervened quickly after seeing Cloud's expression darken. "We used to live in Nibelheim, but moved away before we heard about what happened to Cloud's mother. Two years ago, we found Cloud in a hospital while visiting a relative, and we took him in." Lightning looked at Sephiroth and Cloud, who both nodded.

"Oh." Lightning remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Just when she thought she knew Cloud, more secrets came up. Cloud looked out the window, seeing them approach the Shinra mansion. "Sephiroth, why aren't you dropping me off at my apartment?" Cloud asked.

"Didn't I say before brother? We're going home. I already alerted the residence that you'll be arriving, and your friends of course" smiled Sephiroth. The rest of the group was ecstatic.

"You mean we're actually going to the Shinra mansion!" squealed Serah.

"Awesome!" yelled Tidus

"I'm sorry, we must refuse. We can't impose." Interjected Lightning.

"What!"

"C'mon sis! Its Friday!" protested Serah.

"Nonesense" replied Sephiroth, "Mother is already expecting all of you. It would be rude to disappoint her." The rest of the group directed puppy eyes towards Lightning until she gave in.

"Fine." The rest of the group cheered and bear hugged her. "C'mon, get off!"

* * *

><p>Lightning and the group stood dumbstruck in front of the car. There were rows of maids and butlers, each bowing as soon as Cloud stepped out of the Limo<p>

"Welcome home, master Strife!"

* * *

><p>Well, that's it for this chapter. Sorry Kadaj lovers if I've scarred you with the mental image of a female Kadaj -_-; One of my friends begged me to include it and I couldn't disappoint her… what awaits Cloud and friends in the next chapter? Stay tuned to find out! Reviews are welcome!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the next chapter! Thanks for the views! I do not own Final Fantasy**

* * *

><p>As the group entered the mansion, the doors parted to reveal a grand entryway, Beset with marble columns and gold lined windows. The group looked up to see that the ceiling contained an intricate web of engravings, portraying a surreal landscape. Snow let out a low whistle. Even Lightning was beside herself in amazement. "You never told us you had a mansion for a home, Cloud" Zidane said.<p>

"This isn't my home" Cloud replied.

"Darling, but of course it is." The group turned to see a woman descending from the twin staircase. She was clad in an elegant black dress, contrasting sharply with her pale skin, which almost gave off a bluish hue. And, like all her children, she had silver hair and emerald eyes. She descended the stair case and embraced Cloud. "It's so good to see you darling."

"It's good to see you too Jenova" Cloud replied politely.

"No need to be so formal" Jenova chided, before turning her attention to Lightning and the group. "You must be Cloud's friends. It is a pleasure to have you here, please make yourselves at home." Lightning nodded and looked to see Cloud being led away from them. Jenova followed Lightning's gaze. "Oh, don't worry, Sephiroth informed me of his condition. We happen to have several doctors on site, as well as some of Shinra's superb medical equipment. He will be fine." Lightning noticed the rest of the group relax knowing that Cloud was going to be taken care of. She guessed she wasn't the only one who tensed up when they saw Cloud in that state. "I've taken the liberty of informing your parents that you will be staying for dinner. Will that be okay, Claire?" Jenova said, stopping to turn to Lightning.

Lightning froze. _She knows_ she thought to herself. After all the pains she had taken to ensure no one knew that their parents were gone, all those nights she spent working so they could stay in their poor excuse for an apartment, so that they wouldn't be put in a foster home. Serah noticed her older sister's panic and quickly intervened "We would be delighted." Jenova seemed content with this answer and continued down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Lightning felt some of her tension melt away when she stepped into the hot springs bath. This room was also white, lined with beautiful pearl tiles. The bath itself was large enough to fit two of their school's swimming pool, and this was only the one for the women! In the middle of the bath rose a statue of an imposing figure with wings, spewing forth steaming water. As she inched closer she saw a plaque that read <em>Bahamut: SIN<em>. _Strange statue_ she thought, her thoughts interrupted by a large splash behind her, sending a wave to ripple across the rest of the bath. "Whew, that felt great!" Serah exclaimed.

"Serah! We're guests! Behave yourself!" Lightning reprimanded, only to be undermined at the sight of Kadaj doing the same, cannon balling into the bath.

"It's all right, I do this all the time!" Kadaj said, starting to float on her back. Soon Terra, Fang, and Vanille had joined them. The water seemed to have a herbal scent, relaxing everybody. "Hey Kadaj, you've known Cloud for a while right?" Vanille asked.

"Yeah, why?" Kadaj replied, seeming defensive about Vanille's question. Vanille wasn't deterred in the slightest though and pressed onwards.

'Well, it's just he seems a little unapproachable, more so than Lightning over here" Vanille said, jerking her thumb in Lightning's direction.

"Hey!" Several of the group chuckled. Kadaj seemed to loosen up a little after Vanille's response.

"No, he wasn't always like this. When we were little he was a little shy, but we always had a great time together." Kadaj smiled at the recollection. "We would always go on adventures and do pranks and stuff and get in trouble. He would always take the blame though. Sephiroth would always get angry at him though whenever he did that." Kadaj chuckled. "Now…I'm lucky if I see him smile. I just want the old Cloud back" She said sadly, hugging her legs. Vanille came forward and hugged Kadaj.

"Awww, how cute! Does little sis have a crush on Cloud?" she teased.

"Wha! " Kadaj flailed in Vanilles arms, obviously flustered. "GET OFF ME!"

"Heh, you didn't deny it!" Vanille teased. The group chuckled while Kadaj finally was able to break free and huffed away.

* * *

><p>"HUGE!" Tidus and SNOW yelled upon seeing the men's bath. Yazoo and Loz merely walked past them and entered the bath, accompanied by Luneth and Zidane.<p>

"You think this is big you should see the pool" Yazoo teased. "It's three times as big" he snickered, seeing Snow and Tidus mouths metaphorically hit the floor.

"What else you guys have here?" Tidus asked.

"A basketball court, movie and game room, and a Blitzball field" Loz tallied off.

"Really? Awesome! Wanna play a match later?" Tidus asked

"Sure, why not."

"Yes!" Tidus pumped his fist in the air, before being pushed into the bath by Snow. "Hey!" he called back once he resurfaced. Snow had already entered the bath.

"What? You were taking too long." Snow snickered. Zidane was still taking in all their surroundings.

"Man, Cloud must love coming back here after school." He commented. Loz looked down and Yazoo replied.

"Actually, this is the first time we've seen him in four months."

"What?" Snow said. "Why the hell would he want to live elsewhere?"

"He has his reasons, we must respect them." Interrupted Sephiroth, entering the room just as Yazoo was about to explain. Snow merely shrugged, moving on to another question.

"So, what was all that about Cloud not having many friends?" Snow asked.

"Exactly what it means," Sephiroth stated, a little annoyed "He didn't have many friends, all of you guys were a surprise to say the least."

"Before Cloud's only friends were us, Zack, Aerith, and Tifa-" Loz began.

"Don't you dare mention that bitch!" Yazoo spat venomously, interrupting Loz. Snow, Luneth, and Tidus looked at them in shock.

"Do you mean Tifa, as in Tifa Lockheart?" Luneth asked.

"What did she ever do?" asked Tidus.

"We've said enough" Sephiroth stated, shooting a glare at Yazoo, who merely slumped against the bath's edge. The air turned tense after the exchange, broken by having their intention was drawn to an over adventurous Zidane climbing the statue in the middle. Before reaching its summit, he slipped across its surface, falling next to Tidus, soaking him in the ensuing splash. "Hey! Watch it!" Tidus growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry prince, didn't mean to get your hair wet" Zidane remarked sarcastically, splashing Zidane again.

"That's it! Come here!" Tidus yelled plunging after Zidane. The two were engaged in their wrestling match and didn't even notice Cloud slowly walking in to join them in the bath.

"Brother! You shouldn't be walking after the Mako treatment!" Sephiroth scolded.

"I'm fine" Cloud replied, "what? Did you expect me to stay in bed the rest of the day like a sick child?" he smirked. Snow and Luneth noticed that Cloud no longer had the ugly bullet wounds on his chest, nor the presence of any stitches.

"Mako?" asked Luneth, both him and Snow shooting a questioning look to the silver haired brothers.

"It's an experimental treatment" stated Yazoo. "Two years ago when Cloud was taken into one of our hospitals from a car crash he was in critical condition. The doctors gave him a survival rate of 4.3%. They said he would be lucky if he lasted the night. At one point one of the doctors suggested trying a mako treatment, due to the treatment still being in the developing stages and the fact that Cloud was considered an expendable." Yazoo said, with some bitterness in his voice towards the end of the last sentence. "The treatment worked, but it has some side effects…" he trailed off.

"Like what?" Snow went on, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I don't think that's for me to say…" Yazoo replied.

"My body is now dependant on the procedure" Cloud stated. "If I don't receive monthly treatments, My body deteriorates and goes into a state of withdrawal. It also did this." Cloud said pointing towards his Azure glowing eyes.

"Oh" Luneth said, feeling maybe they had pried too much, Snow feeling the same way. Though they didn't have time to respond as Zidane was thrown their way and they too became entangled in the bath fight. This lasted for several minutes until Snow tried to get Cloud to join.

'C'mon Cloud, loosen up!"

"I'm fine, you guys go on ahead." Cloud merely replied.

"C'mon, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Snow said, and noticing Cloud wasn't going to budge, grabbed him by the leg and heaved him into the air. "You gotta let go sometimes!" Cloud fell into the bath with a large splash, and didn't come back up for a while. Sephiroth, Loz, and Yazoo sent murderous glares towards Snow. "He he, I'm sure he's fine" he stated as he walked over to where Cloud landed. Once Snow was close enough, Cloud performed a hand stand, his ankles locking around both sides of an unsuspecting Snow's head, flinging him across the bath, skipping him across the surface several times before he landed with a splash. Cloud used him momentum to right himself.

"Five skips! A new record!" Zidane laughed.

"Awesome big bro!" Loz yelled. Snow coughed as he rose up from the surface of the water. Cloud looked over to Snow and smiled "Happy now?"

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><p>The girls had already finished before the boys and exited the bath only to find their clothes missing. Kadaj then showed them to a side room the opened up to reveal multiple changing rooms, each with displays showing their names. As Lightning entered her's , she found a pair of jeans, shoes, and a spaghetti strap shirt that was the same color as her hair. All of them were Shinra brand. As she exited she noticed that each of outfits was picked to fit them. Fang wore a regular t shirt and cargo pants with sneakers. Vanille wore low cut Jean shorts with boots, along with an orange t shirt. Serah wore a pink blouse and shorts. Kadaj was the last to get out, wearing a tube top and skinny jeans and heels. "Well, while the boys are finishing up, why don't I give you a tour?" Kadaj said exiting the room, gesturing for them to follow her.<p>

The magnitude of the mansion once again awed Lightning and her friends. Walking down the white halls they passed a multitude of rooms. Though despite the feeling of emptiness in the manor, there were several members of the staff, who never failed to address Kadaj whenever the group walked by. Finally, after the lengthy tour, they came to a door at the end of one of the hallways. "And this" Kadaj gestured as she opened the door, "is my room." The open doors revealed a lavish room with a large bed that dominated the center of the room. To one side of the room rested a large T.V. on the wall, along with several shelves holding photos, plush animals and whatnot. Terra and Vanille were the first to go in.

"Sooo cute!" Terra went over to look at the bed, which was covered in several plush animals, a moogle catching her attention from the pile. Vanille was looking at the photos on the shelves until one in particular caught her attention. "Aww look! It's Cloud when he was a kid!" She yelled as she picked up the picture frame.

"Let me see!" Serah said, making her way over to Vanille along with Terra and Lightning. Even Lightning was interested. The picture was taken was old from the looks of the frayed edges. The picture showed a Cloud around eight or so, smiling, along with Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Sephiroth. What interested Lightning the most was that Cloud's eyes seemed a duller shade of blue then now. _Maybe it's just because the photos old…_ Lightning mused to herself.

Kadaj was desperately trying to reach the photo "Hey! Put it back!" Vanille was having too much fun with the flustered Kadaj, keeping the photo just out of reach.

"C'mon Vanille, we're guests, remember?" Lightning scolded. Vanille pouted than gave Kadaj the photo back.

"So this is where you guys were" the girls turned around to see the guys standing near the doorway. Loz, Yazoo, and Sephiroth both wore black collared t shirts with jeans, a simple look that suited them, providing a sharp contrast to their hair. Snow had a black cap, along with a red jersey and shorts. Zidane and Luneth both wore blue collared shirts and jeans, making Luneth seem more child-like than before. Tidus wore his yellow shirt, unbuttoned and revealing his chest, along with black shorts, the leg ends frayed and ripped, and making one stop at his knee while the other stopped halfway down his shin. Cloud wore a high collar sleeveless back shirt, zipped halfway, along with black boots and pants. He looked over at Lightning "You look…cute, Lightning"

"Uh…thanks" Lightning replied, a little flustered. She felt a little exposed outside of her normal attire. Kadaj looked suspiciously at her before running up to Cloud.

"Onii-chan! What about me? How do I look?" Kadaj said, twirling around to give Cloud a full look.

"You look cute too" Cloud smiled. The moment was interrupted though when one of the butlers came.

"Excuse the interruption, but Miss, you have your lessons to attend to" The butler directed towards Kadaj, "As well as yours', young masters." He continued, looking over at Sephiroth, Loz and Yazoo.

"But, Big brother finally came home!" Loz whined.

"The Lessons will not wait, the faster you do them the faster you can spend time with master Strife" the butler countered. Loz looked down in defeat, and accompanied Yazoo and Sephiroth. Kadaj hugged Cloud before following her brothers.

"Bye Onii-chan!"

After a few moments of their absence, a silence fell over the group, unsure of how to address Cloud.

"So, master Strife, what would you like to do now" Snow joked, making an over elaborate bow. The group burst into laughter.

"Very funny. Do you want to finish the tour?" Cloud offered, starting to walk down the hallway. The rest of the group soon followed. Zidane was still looking were Kadaj had left.

"Man Cloud, I thought we were bros? Why did you keep such a sexy sister a secret? Wanted to keep her all to yourself, eh?" he teased.

"Him"

"Eh?"

Cloud didn't stop when explaining. "The Kadaj I grew up with was a boy. Apparently after they moved away, Kadaj opted for a sex change procedure when he turned 14. Shinra spared no expense, and the doctors said he can apparently get married and even have children." After he finished he turned around to see the whole group dumb with shock.

"Wa-Wait! You mean she wa-was..a….a he! And to think that, I was even thinking of-OH MY GOD, WHERE IS THE MIND BLEACH!" Zidane yelled, almost foaming at the mouth in shock. Luneth just stood there, frozen, as if his mind had just crashed with the information.

"AUUGGHHH! MY. EYES! THEY. BUUUUUURRRRRN!" Tidus yelled, on his knees, covering his face.

"Wait a minute!" Vanille cut in. "You mean, we took an open bath…WITH A GUY!" she yelled, covering herself as if some part of her was exposed.

"Pfft." Cloud merely chuckled.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Tidus, Zidane, and Vanille yelled at the same time.

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><p><strong>Well, there it is, Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. At least now Zidane knows not to hit on anything looking remotely female before knowing for sure. Some of my friends learned that the hard way….anyways, Reviews are welcome! The more reviews I get motivate me to write faster!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay, here is the next chapter. From now on I may be only able to post one chapter a week, two tops. The reason behind this being that I started college at De Anza this week. I'll probably update on the weekend since those days I don't have classes. I do not own Final Fantasy or Dissidia.**

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><p>It took Zidane, Tidus, Luneth, and Vanille some time to recover from their shock before Cloud proceeded with showing them around the manor. Lightning herself had been shocked as well, but just managed to conceal his surprise easier. Their first stop was an indoor tennis court being occupied by two girls. One was practicing her backhand swing while the other monitored her progress while regulating the machine serving tennis balls.<p>

"C'mon Kadaj! You have to put more effort into it!" The instructor yelled.

"Yuna, you're so strict! Can't you go easy on me for once?" Kadaj whined.

"No." Kadaj sighed at her instructors reply, though perked up when she saw Cloud and friends watching them.

"Hi Onii-chan!" she called over to Cloud, who waved in response. Tidus, Zidane, Vanille, and Luneth looked away, still feeling awkward around the 'girl.' Kadaj soon paid for her lack of focus when the machine spat a tennis ball into her stomach, causing her to double over. "Oof!"

"You have to maintain your focus when playing tennis, or else-" Her voice faltered when she noticed the group, or more importantly, the blonde Blitzball player.

"Tidus?" Tidus's eyes widened in recognition of his crush from school.

"Yuna?"

Kadaj looked between the two. "You know each other?" The two looked shyly at each other

"Well, yeah, sort of, we go to the same school" Yuna replied.

"So this was your part time job?" Tidus asked, the group walking over to them.

"Well, yeah, They hired me after one of my-HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Yuna yelled after seeing Kadaj try to sneak away. "I'm sorry, but I have to finish her lessons." Yuna looked apologetically at Tidus as she dragged Kadaj back by her ear. "Nice to see you again Cloud" she nodded towards Cloud, who merely nodded back.

"Owowowowow! Bu-But I want to spend time with Onii-chan!" Kadaj whined.

"You can spend time with Cloud AFTER you finish your lessons." Yuna countered.

"We'd best be leaving then" cloud stated before walking off, with the rest of the group following. Everyone noticed how Tidus and Yuna looked at each other.

"So, Yuna huh?" Snow teased, elbowing Tidus in the ribs. The rest of the group chuckled.

"It's not like that!" Tidus yelled out, flustered. "Besides, she probably has her eyes on someone else." He muttered. The rest of the group contemplated this. True, Yuna did have many admirers, but she wasn't with anybody as far as anyone knew.

"She does talk about you a lot" Cloud said, not bothering to look back. Tidus perked up immediately and began pestering Cloud wit countless questions.

"Really! What does she say?"

"Does she mention me often?"

"Does she think I'm charming?"

Cloud sighed as he led them on. "You really are like a little puppy, just like she says" He muttered.

* * *

><p>Cloud was bringing them to the next room, which according to him was a training room of sorts. Snow, Luneth and Lightning's interest sparked up at this bit of information. <em>Maybe here I'll find the reason for his ridiculous strength<em>..Lightning mused to herself. Though just as the group neared the door, A man in a formal robe burst through the doors flying towards Cloud with an arm raised over his head holding bokuto. Cloud caught the bokuto in mid swing with both arms.

"Dammit Auron" Cloud grunted. Only after a few moments did Auron ease back, drawing his baokuto to his side. The rest of the group just stood back and gaped,_ It's like a scene from a manga!_ They all thought.

"Still sharp I see." Was all the man said, before walking back into the room. Cloud followed him in. After much hesitation, and expecting a second similar situation to happen, Lightning and company followed. The room seemed to be a mix match of a gym, boxing arena, and stadium. To the left of the room were several punching bags, dumb bells, and other exercising equipment. Towards the far wall was a boxing ring, which Loz was currently in engaged in a boxing match with a blonde haired man with a tattoo over the left side of his face. Beside it was a cleared area that was designated for Kendo, Lightning presumed from the fact that a rack of Kendo equipment adorned the wall. Auron was there currently watching over Sephiroth as he performed basic routines.

"Big brother!" Loz yelled, though unlike Kadaj, didn't tear his eyes away from the fight. The blonde man simply nodded in the group's direction, "Hey Cloud, long time no see."

"Hi Zell, hey Loz" Cloud merely replied while the two proceeded to beat the holy crap out of each other. The girls sighed as they saw Snow, Tidus, Luneth, and Lightning rushed over to see all the training equipment.

"Holy shit! Cloud, is this what I think it is?" Snow yelled, running over to a group of manikin like robots in the corner. He looked like a little kid walking into his favorite toy store. _Boys will be boys_…thought Lightning smugly.

"That's the Sparring Bot 6000, wanna try it out?" Zell said, gesturing over to the robot. Loz and Zell had stopped their match a few seconds ago, both looking exhausted and drenched with sweat. The group thought the two likely to collapse in exhaustion any second now, astounded to see them converse as if nothing happened.

"You bet!" Snow looked ecstatic as Zell went to turn on the machine. When it turned to life it looked around the room, oddly resembling a person just waking up. It then zeroed in on Snow, who was in a ready stance in front, and proceeded with its training routine. After a few Jabs and hits, everyone noticed the smile plastered on Snow's face. He was obviously enjoying himself.

"Is this all it has? They said it could give champs a run for their money, guess I'm good enough to beat a champ!" Snow could have sworn right then he could hear Lightning's eyeballs rolling in their sockets.

"Wanna try?" Cloud asked, sidestepping Snow to get behind the machine, flicking an indiscriminant switch. The robot paused for a brief moment, then unleashed blind fury on Snow. Snow was pressed into the defensive, waiting for an opening. Though he never got the chance, as the robot found a chink in his defense and continued to pummel the boxer, finishing him with a right uppercut that **literally** sent him up into the air and onto his back.

"Snow!" a frightened Serah yelled, before rushing over to her boyfriend, cradling his head in her lap. "Are you okay?" Snow blinked a few times, his eyes going back into focus. He smiled his stupid grin.

"Did I win?" Zell was laughing at the show, clutching his sides. Serah gave a glare his way but he seemed unaffected by it.

"Cloud, what setting did you put it on!" Zell managed to wheeze between laughs.

"Suicidal." Lightning and the others joined in on the laughing while Serah glared at them. After they had all calmed down, Sephiroth and Auron joined them. Zell got up from the floor, still clutching his sides from laughing.

"Well, that's all for today, thanks for the show big guy!" Zell waved as he departed with Auron. Serah stuck out her tongue at the blonde.

"Well, Kadaj should be done right about now too-" Sephiroth commented as the laughter died out. Sure enough, they could see Kadaj dragging a flustered Yuna into the room.

"C'mon!"

"Nononono! I shouldn't impose!"

"Mother said its fine! Besides, you know you want to!" Kadaj teased. Yuna looked at the Tidus and immediately both turned away, a blush creeping up on their cheeks. Strangely enough, Cloud was the one to break the tension.

"Sephiroth, what are Jenova's plans for dinner?" Sephiroth had been busy for the better part of his sister's entrance with reading a text he received.

"Mother has arranged for our dinner in the entertainment room. She is busy with company matters with father. If you will follow me" he said, waiting near the door motioning for them to follow him.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the entertainment room, Serah was still by Snow's side, asking him if everything was alright, and Snow just smiling his stupid grin saying everything was alright. Lightning had had enough of Serah's coddling and was about to scold her when the room's doors opened.<p>

The pool tables had been pushed to the sides, making room for the centerpiece tables. Pizzas straight from the oven, along with hamburgers, snacks and whatnot adorned its surface. There were several buckets filled with ice and root beer bottles. The aroma of the food wafted through the opening, producing a growl from each stomach. Sephiroth made an over elaborate bow towards the party.

"Enjoy"

The group hurried in, each pilling food onto their plates. Lightning was a little disappointed. After seeing the lavish mansion, she half expected to be treated to a five star cuisine. This was just normal party food. Though as soon as she took a bite, her mouth melted with pleasure. This wasn't some cheap ass fast food pizza. It literally melted in her mouth. Guessing from the content looks from all the others, Lightning could tell they were experiencing the same thing. Yazoo looked smugly at the group.

"Our chef made these, no comparison to others, huh?" The group, to busy enjoying the food, just nodded. After the group had finished stuffing their faces, they laid there, in bliss. Lightning looked at her watch, and swore. _Shit! It's almost 11! I have to take Serah home and I don't even know how the hell we got here from school!_ As Lightning mentally scolded herself, Jenova walked in.

"Mrs. Shinra, It has been a great pleasure, but I'm afraid me and my sister have to go."

"At this time of the night? No, I won't allow it."

"But, we can't impose any further on you, and-"

"Don't worry dear" Jenova waved her hand, "I've already contacted all your parents, informing them that you'll be staying the night." This earned a cheer from the rest of the group

"Bu-" Lightning faltered. This woman seemed to disarm every argument she had. Not even Serah could do that!

"C'mon sis!" Serah begged, shaking Lightning's arm. Lightning sighed in defeat.

"Fine."

"Cloud, I hope you'll stay too. It's entirely your decision though" At this, Kadaj and Loz begged Cloud to stay and gave him puppy dog looks. Yazoo, while not begging, shyly asked him to stay as well. Cloud sighed.

"Thank You Jenova. I guess I've been gone a little too long" Cloud smiled weakly. At this the three dog piled on Cloud.

"Loz, Yazoo, Kadaj! Behave! You're hurting Cloud!" Sephiroth scolded.

"I will inform the servants to bring in some beds, don't stay up too late" Jenova smiled, waving goodbye as she left the room.

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><p><strong>REVIEW PLEASE. Yup, It's a sleep over, who knew? I have multiple scenarios in mind, but I'll let the readers decide in their reviews, whichever of these has the most votes will be the main focus of the next chapter. The second most popular will also be included, and possibly the third. Anyways, here they are.<strong>

**A)Zidane and Yazoo sneak out to snatch some beer, and drunk antics ensue!**

**B)The group decides to play King (Like truth or dare, except random, and only dares, can go with choice D)**

**C)Truth or Dare**

**D)An awkward moment with Kadaj and another character, and if so, who? **

**E)The group watches a horror movie, and are plagued by strange noises**

**F)A secret of Cloud is revealed**

**G)Character (a) flirting with character(b), character(c) getting jealous (could go with choice A) **

**H)Characters (a) (b) and (c) try to pull a prank on the group, only to have it backfire in their face!**

**I will make my decision by this Sunday and start then, so get your votes in soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the next chapter. Thanks for all the input guys! Well, with that here is the next chapter.**

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><p>A few minutes passed by until the servants Jenova mentioned brought in the spare beds, and carried the pool tables to one of the connected sub rooms. These beds were no simple spare though Lightning noticed. On their metal framework, they contained a small touch screen, with multiple settings, such as softness, temperature, elevation, and whatnot. Above all these was a name, glowing brighter than any of the controls. Lightning noted with slight irritation that hers showed up as Claire. Most of the other people had filed into the game room. Serah noticed her idling sister walking over.<p>

"C'mon sis! Join the fun"

Lightning allowed herself to be dragged along by her sister. _Since we're stuck here might as well_ she thought. The game room was adorned with several old fashion arcade games. There were several DDR games, one of which Zidane and Vanille were currently competing in. Terra was focusing on a crane game, a plush moogle catching her eye. There were several large screen T.V's that were hooked up to the newest consoles. Loz and Snow were currently fighting each other in Street Fighter. Lightning felt lost. She never really had time nor could afford to play games. She couldn't afford to spend time at arcades, no matter how much she wanted to. Serah wasn't like that though since Snow would take her out on dates. Right now Lightning felt a little lost. Serah ran over to a game named Time Crisis.

"C'mon Light!"

"Uh…I'm fine, you go on and play."

"Oh, I see. You're afraid you'll lose" Serah teased. Lightning felt her face flush at several snickers.

"I am NOT!"

"Then prove it"

"Fine! Watch how easily I kick your but!"

* * *

><p>…Several tokens later…<p>

Lightning slumped her shoulders in shame while Serah jumped in glee. How could she do this bad?

"Wow Light, you REALLY suck at games" Snow chipped in. Lightning turned around and socked him in the gut, causing him to double over.

"SHUT UP!"

"Ow, no need to get physical, it's just a game" Snow muttered.

"It's okay Snow, Lights just a sore loser." Serah countered.

'I WAN'T A RE-MATCH!" Lightning was ticked.

After they inserted their tokens, the two sisters stood at the ready, with the gun controllers raised. Lightning couldn't focus on a single target, and after the first stage was done she could tell it was going to end the same as last match. She sighed in defeat. The feeling of hands over hers made her tense up and make a sharp intake of breath.

"Here, let me help"

Lightning turned to see Cloud over her shoulder behind her, and quickly turned back after noticing how close his face was to her. His breath tickled her ear. She couldn't help but notice how his arms felt when they nudged against her sides. She felt her face heating up.

"Are you listening?"

"Huh?" She felt embarrassed at the fact that while she was pondering all this, she hadn't heard a word he said. Though he didn't seem angry at this fact.

"You're focusing too much on the gun in your hands." Now that he mentioned it, she did have trouble lining up the gun with the targets.

"You over think it too much. Relax a bit."

Lightning took a deep breath and counted to ten.

"Good, now for now, focus on the screen, when you see a target, don't take your eyes away from the screen, and try to point your hands in the direction of the target and pull the trigger. Try it now."

The next round started. Lightning noticed how much more enjoyable it felt now. She was hitting her targets much easier. Though she couldn't help notice throughout the game how nice his hands felt. The stage cleared, Lightning got an accuracy rating of 89% while Serah got 76%.

"See? Look how good you're doing"

Lightning turned to see Cloud smiling at her. It was a beautiful smile that made her blush only more.

"No fair! Cloud was helping you!" Serah pouted.

* * *

><p>Kadaj sat with Yuna, looking at the whole scene. Yuna grew worried when she saw Kadaj's hand with a glass of punch trembling.<p>

"Um…Kadaj, are you oka-" Yuna flinched when the glass broke. Kadaj turned to Yuna with a seemingly innocent smile.

"Oh, I'm fine, every things just peachy" she said, before stalking off.

* * *

><p>Zidane wandered cautiously around the halls of the manor, slinking in the shadows whenever a servant or maid passed by. <em>Now, where do rich pricks store booze?<em> A metallic click brought his attention to the presence behind him.

"May I ask you what the hell you are doing?" Yazoo asked coldly, the gun still aimed at Zidane.

"Um….I was just looking for some booze, you?"

"Same. Here, follow me" Yazoo led the way, sheathing the gun.

"Do you point a gun at every stranger you see?" Zidane asked angrily, his heart still beating fast from seeing the gun. Yazoo chuckled.

"Don't worry, it was unloaded. But no, that's usually Cloud's behavior."

"You mean he has a gun too?"

"Several, we both have jobs in Shinra security division."

"Why does a rich boy like you need a job?"

"Somebody needs to watch big brother's back, or he'll do something reckless."

Zidane chuckled "Yeah, if his last stunt was anything to go by, I'm surprised he's still alive"

Yazoo chuckled. Finally they arrived at a door that had no knob but a card scanner.

"I thought we were going to get the booze?"

"This is where they keep the good shit." Yazoo took a card from his pockets. "Swiped it off of one of the servants," he replied to Zidane's questioning stare. After pressing a sequence of keys, mechanisms inside the door whirred to life, the door parting to reveal the room's contents.

"Sweet."

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><p>Lightning was enjoying herself. Now she understood the appeal of arcades. After the shooting contest with Serah, she tried a match against Cloud. She wasn't overly arrogant to think she could win against anybody, but she found it annoying how Cloud didn't seem excited, he just had the same noh mask face. But despite that, she found herself enjoying spending time with him. Loz noisily entering the room broke her train of thought.<p>

"Big Bro! Yazoo brought the booze!"

Snow and the other guys turned around and ran towards Yazoo and Zidane who were lugging ice filled bins laden with booze.

"SERAH!" Lightning yelled, seeing her sister also partaking in a beer.

"What? Don't worry Light, it's not like we'll be driving anywhere"

"Yeah, c'mon, you always act like you have a pole stuck up your ass" Snow chimed in, several empty beer bottles near him. Apparently he was more cocky buzzed. Lightning's fist soon solved that.

"Come on guys, it's not her fault she passes out after one glass." The group, the exception of Cloud, started laughing at a reddening Lightning.

"Yazoo, did you get my usual?"

"As always, big brother" Yazoo replied, tossing a vodka bottle Cloud's way, who deftly caught it in one hand. This startled Lightning, Cloud seemed the calm and collected type, not the drinking type. They all sat down, nursing their own drinks, except for Lightning.

"What can we get for you dear, an apple juice or milk?" Fang teased. Everyone laughed, except for Cloud. Lightning had had enough, and without warning, grabbed Cloud's bottle and downed a gulp, startling the group. The liquor burned her throat, warming her from the inside. Her eyes stung and teared up, she coughed for a bit before passing Cloud back his bottle. Lightning's face was already flushed.

"You okay Lightning?" concern showing on Cloud's face.

"What? I can drink too!" Lightning said, a little too loudly. She reached for another bottle before Cloud's hand gripped hers and stopped it.

"That's your last drink for today. This is some really strong stuff. I think you're good for now."

"I'm not some little girl you have to watch ove-" Lightning said as she stood up, stumbling forward before Cloud caught her.

"Everyone has their own alcohol tolerance, it's nothing to be ashamed of" Cloud led her back down to sit.

Snow seemed disappointed. "Awww, I wanted to see how Lightning acted stone drunk." Lightning gave a glare. Cloud merely shrugged and took a swig of vodka.

"But then again, you don't want to deal with a Lightning with an extremely bad hangover."

"Uh-Cloud!" Lightning blushed a little.

"What?"

"I-uh, I…I mean" Lightning stuttered, pointed towards the bottle which she just had an indirect kiss with Cloud through.

"Oh, don't worry, you're not sick are you? No? then it's alright."

Yuna noticed Kadaj, who was almost simmering with rage. _I feel sorry for Lightning…_

"Hey guys, why don't we play Truth or Dare?" Kadaj volunteered.

"Why not?"

"Sure!"

"Alright!"

"Hold on!" Vanille interrupted.

"What?"

"We have to set some rules"

"Like what?"

"Dares have to take place here, and NO sexual dares!" Vanille emphasized the last part, shooting a glare towards the guys, who merely shrugged.

"Uh, fine, I guess" Zidane conceded. Kadaj flared an evil grin, one that only Yuna saw that sent chills down her spine.

"Okay! I'll go first then….hm, who to choose? Onii-chan!"

"Yeah?"

"Truth or Dare?"

"Um…dare, I guess?"

"Okay than, I daaaaaarrree you, to kiss me 3" Zidane did a spit take with his beer, Tidus started chocking, Luneth tensed up, and Vanille spilt her drink on herself. Cloud just stood up and walked towards her.

"Okay then." He lifted her chin and moved in for the kiss, purposely in front Zidane, Who looked like his eyes were gonna roll into the back of his head. Tidus looked like he was going to throw up. Luneth looked dead. Vanille's mouth just gaped open. Though at the last second he moved and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. Kadaj pouted.

"Onii-chan! That's cheating!"

"You never said where to kiss you."

"Hmph!"

"There. Now, my turn. Kadaj, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"Okay, well, the thing is, I feel a little guilty, see Zidane over there?" Cloud pointed to a nearly comatose Zidane, "Truth is, he's had a little crush on you, so why not give him a peck on the cheek?"

"Wha!"

"Hm, well, fine, if Onii-chan says so" Kadaj conceded and walked towards a panicking Zidane.

"No! I'm fine! No nee-" He remained silent as Kadaj kissed him on the cheek. He fell backwards, knocked out and almost foaming at the mouth.

"Is he okay?"

"He's just shy"

"Oh"

"I'm next!" Vanille yelled. Everyone directed their attention to her.

"Soooo, Snow?"

"Yeah?"

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth"

"Aw, you're no fun!"

"Just hurry up!"

"Fine, so Snow, how far have you gone?"

"What?"

"You know: first second or third base?" Snow did a spit take.

"Vanille, they've only been together for two months, they couldn't have-" Lightning stopped and glared at a nervous Snow. "No, you didn't"

"Ah, hehe" Snow chuckled nervously. "How about we move on to another question."

"Snow!"

"Nothing!"

"Second base" Lightning gaped in shock at her sister's answer.

"YOU BASTARD!" Serah struggled to keep her sister from beating her boyfriend to a pulp.

"Lightning! That's all I've done! I Swear! I won't go any farther than that!" Snow scooted back, holding up his hands in surrender. Cloud stepped in and gently pulled Lightning back by the shoulder out of the room "Excuse us."

"Calm down Lightning."

"Why the FUCK should I be calm! He groped my sister!"

"Well, first of all, you're making a scene. Second of all, It's not like your sister went around your back and fucked some random guy." He silenced her as she was about to retort "And I don't mean it's okay as long as she sleeps with her boyfriend. Look, from what I know of you, you're really protective of your sister. Which is good. But you have to remember that you can't control everything she does, she has to make her own decisions, not meaning that some of her decisions will be smart, but that's what you're there for. Snow doesn't seem the perverted type, and though he did do that with your sister, he said he wouldn't go any farther than that. So why not give him a break tonight, then you can give him hell later?" Lightning calmed herself down.

"Thanks Cloud."

"Now come on, let's go back to the others." Lightning followed him back to the room silently. They could hear the laughter emanating from the room, and after opening the doors, soon saw why. An embarrassed Tidus and Snow were doing the Tango in only their boxers to a laughing crowd. Lightning couldn't hold it in and started laughing so hard that her sides hurt. Though Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Sephiroth stopped at the sound of another person's laughter. Lightning turned to see the usually calm Cloud laughing. It had a nice sound to it.

"Onii-chan, are you laughing?"

"Yeah, I guess I am" he wheezed between laughs.

Luneth looked back at Cloud "Now that you mention it, we've never heard Cloud laugh before."

"He hasn't laughed in two years." A teary Loz replied before bear hugging Cloud "Its soo nice to have you back Big Brother!"

"Loz….can't…..breath!" Loz pulled away and pulled on a sheepish grin.

"Oh, sorry."

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><p>The rest of the group continued the game when Cloud and Lightning joined them, which involved a drunk Zidane(who finally got up from his coma) Yazoo, and Luneth dance and sing to 'All the Single Ladies,' Fang and Sephiroth changing clothes (Which they pulled off, surprisingly), Terra wearing a moogle costume, and Kadaj and a flustered Lightning cosplaying as maids.<p>

"Alright, MY TURN!" Zidane yelled triumphantly. He looked skeptically over the crowd till his eyes landed on his target. "Cloud! Truth or Dare?"

"Truth"

"Alrighty then, when was the last time you got laid? And who?" Almost all of the group did a spit take.

"What? You think he's never went that far? Have you seen how large his fanbase at school is already? They have over 300 members."

"How do you know that Zidane?" Luneth asked

"Eh, well, they pay me for information about Cloud, you know, like what he eats, talks about and stuff."

"So, you're their spy? Was this one of the things they wanted to know?"

"Eh…"

"I'd rather not talk about it. Can we do another question?" Cloud asked, his expression darkened. Snow wasn't deterred by this though.

"Hell no! I had to answer even though Lightning almost killed me, it's your turn"

"Fine" Everyone stared at Cloud as he seemed to be trying to figure out how to phrase his answer. "It was two and a half years ago with Tifa."

Everyone just stood there open mouthed. Snow stuttered.

"Wait, you mean Tifa! As in Tifa Lockheart, the idol of the school!" Cloud didn't respond, merely taking one last swig from the bottle before he dumped the bottle into one of the trash bins and walked towards the door.

"I'm going to bed. Night." The silence remained in the room for several moments, only stopping at the sound of Kadaj smacking Zidane in the back of his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!"

"Idiot! She ripped his heart out!"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Serah asked.

"That Bitch cheated on him" Yazoo stated coldly, while twirling his empty gun.

"When I think of what she did to him, I just, I just" Kadaj sobbed while Loz patted her on the shoulder.

The rest of the group didn't respond, and after a few minutes went off to go turn in for the night.

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><p>Lightning woke up in the middle of the night, a strange melody reaching her ears. She looked around to find the source of the music, none of the radios, T.V.s, or music players were on. She got up and opened the door, trudging off towards the source of the echoing music. She arrived to what she deemed was Cloud's room. It was smaller than Kadaj's room. It was mostly bare, except for the bed, a nightstand, and a piano to the right. She stood by the side of the doorway as she watched Cloud play the piano. He seemed lost in the music. The melody that filled the air was a sad, mournful tune. She could almost feel the dark tendrils of despair gripping at her, threatening to suck her into an abyss. The feeling brought out by the music seemed so real, as if he was pouring his very soul into the music. She stood there for several minutes as he played. She didn't know when or why she found tears on her face. <em>Cloud, how much have you suffered?<em>

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><p><strong>I know I said I was only going to post chapters on the weekends, but well, I lied :P I wanted to finish this chapter as soon as I could. It was fun writing it. Sorry for the Tifa lovers, but don't worry, this story doesn't bash her that much. You'll just have to wait and see how things fall into place. Thanks again for the feedback guys! Please review!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I said I wouldn't update during the week, But I decided to spoil you guys. Well, that, and I really needed a break from math…**

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><p>When the group woke up that morning Loz and Yazoo went to go check up on Cloud, only to come back and to inform the rest of the group that he left early. Zidane already had a huge hangover, Kadaj though didn't let up on him and continued to yell at him for making Cloud angry and leave. Lightning still couldn't shake the melody from her head. She never told anyone what she heard, nor did she intend to. She felt that she had seen a part of Cloud that he wouldn't dare show anyone. She felt…privileged in that fact, as if she was one piece closer to piecing him together. Nobody talked when being driven back home. Everyone felt that they had pried into something that wasn't meant to be known. Not even Zidane talked, though, that may be due to the fact that his massive hangover made even the slightest bump in the road feel like a migraine. After several stops Lightning and Serah were the only ones left in the limo.<p>

"You know, you and Cloud act a lot alike." Serah ventured after a few moments of silence. "What do you mean?" Lightning asked. Where she was brash and impulsive at some times, he was calm and calculating. She didn't see much in common other than their interest in Kendo and how little they talked.

"It feels like he bottles everything in. At first he looked unapproachable. You know, kind of like you did when we met some of our friends. But I think, at least from what I know, after what happened to his mother, something inside him broke, and he's trying to hide it. Like someone I know." Lightning saw where this was going.

"Are you trying to put us together?"

"Maybe" Serah replied coyly. Lightning sighed, god knows how many times her sister tried to set her up with guys. They all turned out to be either pigs or jerks.

"Serah, I don't need a boyfriend. Not right now, we're barely managing the rent as it is, and every day I'm exhausted." Lightning sighed. Which was true, with two part time jobs each and school, it was amazing they had any free time at all.

"Well, not a boyfriend, but how about a friend? You know you have me, but all the others hardly get along with you. Watching out for your sister isn't an excuse to be by yourself. Besides, you guys like the same things, and you enjoy spending time with him."

"I was just being polite." Lightning lied. Serah gave her a look that showed she didn't buy it.

"Lightning, I think yesterday was the first day I saw you smile that much when you were with Cloud. It's not good for you to be depressed all the time!"

Lightning conceded, her sister was more stubborn in these aspects than her. "Fine Serah, I'll spend some time with him. But don't think this lets you off the hook with Snow!" Serah gulped nervously.

"Sure." Serah leaned to the window separating the passengers from the driver and knocked. "Excuse me, can you make a stop by Cloud's apartment?" The driver turned and nodded, and made a left.

"Serah! What are you doing?"

"You're going to spend some time with Cloud." She stated, looking at Lightning as if that much was obvious.

"Now!"

"Why not? He's feeling down right now and surely would like some company."

"Bu-but"

"Don't worry, you look fine"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT!"

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><p>With many protests, Lightning finally stepped out of the limo in front of the apartment complex Cloud lived in. She read the small slip of paper the driver handed to her. It felt heavy for some reason. She opened it to find a key, presumably for Cloud's apartment. She could see Serah's scribbling next to the key "Good Luck!." <em>Apartment 762<em> she read, glancing up to make sure she had the right room. Sure enough the plaque on the door read 762. She froze up before knocking. _Shit, what do I say? "Oh hi Cloud, my sis forced me to spend the day with you, what do you want to do?_ She didn't have to ponder this for very long as she heard a large crashing sound behind the door. "Cloud! Cloud?" Lightning knocked repeatedly. Still no answer. "It's Lightning!" Still no answer. "I'm coming in!" She yelled, unlocking the door. She stood there, fear grasping her as she saw Cloud laying on the floor in what passed for the apartment's kitchen. "Cloud!" she ran over him, careful not to trip over the surrounding clutter of pots and pans. She lifted his head up as his eyes fluttered, trying to focus.

"Lightning?" he replied weakly.

"What happened?" she held his arm as he tried to rise, only to stumble. He pointed weakly to a chair with a strange apparatus, the only piece of furniture that looked more at home in the Shinra manor than in a part time student's home. She took him over to the chair, slowly if not careful. She helped him sit down, but was unsure of what to do next, staring at the touch screen that showed countless controls and options that she knew nothing of. Luckily, she didn't need to, as Cloud entered a sequence of commands. The chair seemed to whir to life, the apparatus extending to reveal a robotic arm, containing an assortment of tubes, needles, blades, and probes, forcing Lightning to take several steps back. Lightning suddenly remembered what Luneth told her after she asked why Cloud seemed as if nothing happened. _"Apparently, Cloud got into an accident several years ago and almost died. The doctors at the hospital used him to try out an experimental procedure, something involving something called 'mako.' It worked, as you can tell. Though from what Cloud said, he has to take it every month or else his body slowly degrades…" _

"Thank you Lightning" Cloud smiled weakly, breaking Lightning from her reverie. "You might want to look away." He said, taking off his shirt. Lightning blushed, but stood where she was.

"As if, who knows if you're gonna need help."

Cloud chuckled "So stubborn, okay, I just hope you aren't the queasy type"

"What do you-!" Lightning stopped in mid sentence as the robotic appendage slit the left side of Cloud's chest, probes extending and prying the skin to the sides, opening the cut. Lightning felt her stomach rise to her throat as the arm inserted several needles through the opening, some longer than her index finger. What amazed her was that Cloud was silent the whole procedure, only the slight twitch of his right eye and his tightening grip as the only indicator of the pain he felt. "Cloud!" Lightning couldn't still her outburst. He smiled weakly towards her.

"ABNORMAL CONCENTRATION OF MAKO. DILLUTING CONCETRATION TO 46%." The arm moved farther in, earning a sharp intake of breath from Cloud. Lightning could do nothing but watch. She watched in morbid fascination as one of the vials was slowly emptied of its emerald liquid contents. She saw thin spider web traces of the liquid glow through Cloud's skin. Cloud was in a cold sweat. His neck was straining, as if trying to hold in a scream of agony. Lightning panicked when she saw his chest rise and fall erratically from hyperventilating. "Cloud!" she stepped forward.

"It's…alright...th…this is ...normal." He struggled. Normal_? Normal! How could someone be willing to go through this every month! _Lightning wondered. _How can somebody go through all this alone!_ The arm slowly retreated from the open crevice it created, the probes now pressing the two flaps of skin together. Another appendage whirred to life. Lightning could feel the heat from where she stood, and to her horror saw it press against the slit, sealing the skin. The smell of burnt flesh filled her nose, threatening to make her empty her stomach. As quickly as it had started, the procedure ended, Leaving Cloud there, his breath slowly returning to normal. After what seemed a few moments of silence, he spoke up. "Sorry you had to see that."

"No no, I'm just glad I was able to help." She faltered, unable to take her eyes of the spot where the machine had slit him open. A red line was all that was left as proof of what happened.

"So, er... why are you in my apartment?" Cloud asked, rising gingerly from the chair and pulling on his shirt.

"Oh! One of the servants gave it to me. Well, after last night, I- I mean my sister thought you would want some company…you know, like, hang out…I guess?" Lightning struggled, wondering why it was so hard to talk to him.

"Are you…asking me out?"

"NO!" Lightning almost yelled. Cloud just quirked an eyebrow at her. She felt herself turning red and looked at the floor. "I mean, just as a friend." Cloud seemed to relax a little when she said this and his face softened a bit.

"Okay, so where do you want to go?"

"I don't know, the mall or the arcade maybe?" Lightning suggested. Cloud chuckled a bit. "Is something funny?" she asked, a little irritated.

"No, nothing, I just remembered you spending three hours playing the same game once you tried it. We practically ran out of tokens every five minutes."

"Bu-but! That's the first time I've ever played a game!" Lightning defended.

"Oh, don't worry. I know how it's like. You should have seen Sephiroth after he played his first game. He didn't step out of his room for days." Lightning couldn't stop laughing at the thought of the polite and proper Sephiroth being a couch potato. Cloud had already finished picking up the stray pots and pans on the floor before heading towards the bedroom. "Alright, just let me get changed. The bathroom is over there if you need to use it." He pointed towards a door near his side before going into his room. Lightning looked around while she waited. There wasn't much, just a sofa, a T.V., a laptop, and that abominable chair. Lightning shuddered. If she ever had to go through that she wouldn't be able to stand being in the same room with it. While she was looking around, something on his desk caught her eye. It was an old photo, kind of like the one Kadaj had in her room, though this one was worse for wear. The picture was taken way back, seeing as how young Cloud was. Kadaj, Loz, Yazoo, and Sephiroth were in this picture too, as well as a spiky black haired boy and a girl with brown hair with a pink ribbon. There was someone else in the picture too next to Cloud, but someone had torn them out. All she could see was their hand around Cloud's shoulder with a ring with a wolf on it. The sound of his bedroom door opening made her start. She hastily put the photo back and sat herself on the couch. Why she did so, she didn't know, it just felt like she had looked at something she wasn't meant to see. Cloud came out wearing a black v neck shirt, sneakers, and dark jeans. She noticed he had an earring in his left ear. "Hope I didn't make you wait long."

"No, not at all." She replied. He headed towards the door and held it open for her. As they walked down the stairs, she was amazed at his will. How does anyone ever walk away from that like it was nothing? She noticed they were walking towards his motorcycle.

"Um, are you sure you're okay to drive?" She ventured. He looked back at her and gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry, I've been through worse" He tried to assure her. It only made Lightning feel worse…

* * *

><p>"TIFA! TIFA!" Yuffie banged against her friends door. Mrs. Lockheart walked by and shook her head.<p>

"Ever since she got home she hasn't left her room honey."

This didn't deter Yuffie. Instead of tried the door, she climbed to the terrace outside Tifas bedroom and entered through the slide door, startling Tifa. "Yuffie! Leave me alone!"

"What happened Tifa?" Yuffie said as she walked to her friend's side noticing the crumpled tissues and tear streaks on her friend's face. "Nothing" she lied, turning away from Yuffie. Yuffie huffed.

"Tifa, if it was nothing you wouldn't have skipped out on the movie without telling us why. If it was nothing, you wouldn't be here crying your eyes out! Until you tell me, I will not leave your side." Yuffie stated, emphasizing every sentence with a poke into her friends side. Tifa looked up at her friends face, and after seeing her determination finally gave in.

"It's Cloud."

"That new guy? WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU! DID HE ABUSE YOU! THAT JERK! I KNEW HE WAS NO GOOD!" Yuffie stood up in a rage, shouting.

"No no no! It's not that!"

"Then what is it?" Yuffie asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Well, it's kind of complicated." Tifa, hoping that would satisfy her friend, was disappointed when Yuffie sat down. "Well?"

Tifa sighed. "Well, we used to be together, and, well, we had a fight and broke up, I never saw him after that. Now, after finally finding him again, I thought we would be able to talk it out and go back to normal. But whenever I try to talk to him, he acts like we're complete strangers. It's like he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I mean, I still love him, but…I just…" Her voice started to falter as she began sobbing. Yuffie hugged her friend and patted her shoulder. "There there, I know exactly what to perk you up" Yuffie cooed.

"What?" Tifa asked. Yuffie grinned got up, and dragged her out of the house running.

"SHOPPING! And don't worry, next time we see Cloud, I'll make sure he listens to ya!" Yuffie grinned mischievously. Tifa couldn't help but laugh.

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><p><strong>Wait for the next chapter to see what awaits these teenagers. Again, I'm sorry for those of you readers who have complained about Zack and Aerith being dead. Well, they did die in the game, and besides, I needed them for crucial aspects of Cloud later on in the fic. Don't worry, we'll see them in flashback sequences, (Flashback sequence runs out of the room) wait! COME BACK HERE DAMMIT!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Here it is! The next chapter! Don't you hate it when you go somewhere to forget about someone and dammit you find them there? Well, at least I have. Anyways, any feedback is welcome! So far hardly anyone has posted any reviews, so that either means I'm great at writing, or I'm doing something wrong. If there's anything I could do to improve the story, please let me know. Enjoy!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer for this and all previous and future chapters: all Final Fantasy characters belong to Square Enix.**

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><p>The drive was nice, winter fall hadn't fully settled in, and the breeze felt nice under the warm sun's gaze. Lightning couldn't feel the wind blowing through her hair on account of the helmet. Though the ride was still enjoyable nonetheless. Lightning did though find it awkward holding on to the seat alone. She wasn't going to hold onto Cloud so quickly after what she had just seen him go through. She knew, despite what he said to the contrary, he was in pain. Anyone normal would have passed out from it. But here he was, driving them to the mall. As they stopped at a red light, Cloud looked at her over her shoulder. "You might want to hold on." Lightning glared at him, she knew her arms were trembling visibly from holding herself still from such an awkward position. "I'm fine" she retorted, he smirked at her answer. "Really now?" he said, before accelerating at the green light. Lightning pitched backwards and couldn't help but yelp in surprise. Cloud's left arm shot backward and caught her, pulling her towards him against his back. "I'm fine, but if you continue to be stubborn than I can't very well guarantee your safety while driving. And if anything happened to you, your sister would probably kill me. Frankly, I would do the same for my sibling."<p>

Lightning almost didn't hear him. She was up against his back, and could hear his heartbeat, even through the helmet. A steady, strong pulse…

"Lightning?"

"Wha!" Lightning snapped back to reality.

"You can let go now." Lightning looked and saw that they were in the mall's parking lot. She looked down at her arms and saw that she was hugging him. Lightning's face flushed and she backed away fast.

"Sorry!" Once again, she was glad that Cloud couldn't see her face due to the helmet.

* * *

><p>As they walked in, Lightning forgot one crucial aspect. Yesterday she didn't go and pick up her paycheck! She would have to wait till Monday to get her pay! Not to mention her wallet was at home.<p>

"Shit!" she muttered, though not too softly since Cloud heard her.

"Something wrong?" he asked. She sighed "Actually, yeah, now I feel like an ass, truth is my wallet is at home."

"Don't worry."

"Wha?" She looked over at Cloud.

"I'm treating you today. And no, I insist." He said as she was in the middle of arguing. He started walking towards the mall's doors. "Besides, I know how hard it is to live on your own." Lightning was stunned. First Jenova, now him, who else knew?

"How did you know?" Cloud looked at her as if her question's answer was obvious. "Last night you told us, man, you really can't handle your alcohol," he said shaking his head. Lightning was mortified. _That's the last time I ever drink vodka_ Lightning mused to herself. He noticed her look and waved dismissively as he walked into the mall. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else as long as you let me treat you today" he teased. Lightning chuckled. "Anything?"

* * *

><p>Tifa let Yuffie drag her to Midgar's biggest mall, albeit their only one. She could already see the sparkle in her friend's eyes as they walked past several stores. Yuffie dragged her into one of the stores and began asking for her opinion on several pieces of clothes, mostly shirts and pants. Tifa chuckled to herself, no matter how much Yuffie had grown, she was still a tomboy at heart. She noticed a light blue dress, catching her interest and picked it up. "Hey Yuffie, how about this one?" she said, showing her friend the dress. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at it. "Naw, too girly."<p>

Tifa chuckled at her response. Typical Yuffie answer. "Are you sure" She teased, "Aw, too bad, I'm sure Vincent would have loved to see you in it." She knew how much of a giant crush Yuffie had on their teacher. Not that she didn't understand, he was a good looker and had quite a few admirers, but he just wasn't to her taste. Yuffie blushed considerably, and took the dress and went to the dressing rooms. Tifa just giggled at her friend.

They later exited the store, a very flustered Yuffie having ended up buying the dress. Tifa found herself enjoying this shopping trip. Yuffie had the effect around her, you hung out with her long enough, you find her happiness rubbing off on you. That is, until Yuffie pointed out a certain someone. "Hey, isn't that Cloud?" Tifa tensed up as her gaze followed Yuffie's pointing finger, her eyes landing on Cloud walking around with a girl with strawberry blonde hair. She felt her chest tighten at the sight of Cloud with another girl. She came back to earth when Yuffie started tugging on her arm. "C'mon, let's go over there!" Tifa dragged her feet along the way. Yuffie stopped mid way, noticing something wrong. "What's up?"

"I don't think we should."

"What do you mean? Before you said you wanted bygones to be bygones and go back together. What's wrong?"

"I-I mean, just look! He's with another girl!" Tifa said helplessly.

"Tifa, are you gonna let that stop you! If you really want something, you gotta fight for it! C'mon, where's that fighting spirit of the Tifa I know! We are going there and that is final!" Yuffie said with an air of finality, dragging Tifa in Cloud's direction.

* * *

><p>Lightning didn't know when she had had this much fun. Whenever Serah had dragged her along through the mall it always seemed a hassle. They always ended up going to these girly stores, her sister forcing clothes on her that never really fit her. Though with Cloud, none of these things happened. They both had such similar likes that she could truthfully say that she was enjoying herself. They had both gotten hungry, and Cloud suggested a café. Lightning sat down while Cloud went to go get their orders. He remembered his joke when they were ordering <em>"You sure you don't want a beer?"<em> The only downside of this out was all the stares. Lightning couldn't keep count of how many times she saw women staring at Cloud. Not that she was jealous, no. She just wondered how Cloud was able to ignore all of them, especially that one annoying clerk at one of the stores, who was shamelessly flirting with Cloud when they were buying their clothes. _Maybe it's not so much that he doesn't care, it's just that after what went on between him and Tifa he doesn't want another relationship?_

"Lightning!" a chirpy voice brought her attention to a little bundle of energy. _Oh great, Yuffie…_Not that she had anything personal against her, she just found the overly perky girl annoying at times. Just when she thought things couldn't take a turn for the worst, she saw the girl Yuffie was dragging along with her. _Oh crap! Speak of the devil…_Tifa Lockheart. Idol of the school, and more importantly, Cloud's ex. To her dismay, Yuffie and a nervous Tifa sat down in the two extra chairs.

"Sooo…Lightning, we saw you with Cloud, you guys dating?" Yuffie asked. If Lightning had a drink, she would have done a spit take.

"No no no, we're just friends." Lightning explained. She noticed Tifa seemed to relax a little. Lightning didn't have much time to ponder this as Cloud came back with their orders.

"Sorry for the wait, but looks like they screwed up the order and gave us double for free, hope you're-" Cloud stopped at the sight of Tifa before continuing "-hungry." Yuffie wasn't deterred by the palpable tension in the air. "Hey Cloud!" she waved.

Cloud nodded and sat down between Lightning and Tifa, which was the only seat left empty. "Hello Yuffie" he nodded, "Tifa." Cloud eyes went from happy to ice cold. Even Yuiffie was taken aback a little. A few moments passed in silence… which eventually dragged onto minutes, until Yuffie decided to start the conversation again.

"So…Cloud, do you like it here in Midgar?" she asked.

"It's bigger than Nibelheim." He replied.

"Do you miss your home or relatives? Surely a big move like this isn't easy?" Both Tifa and Lightning flinched at the land mine Yuffie just stepped on. _Pandora's box Yuffie, you just fucking ripped it in half_ Lightning thought to herself. Cloud face didn't change, but there was glimmer in his eyes that looked like pain, regret, and sadness all rolled up into one. He paused for a moment, before answering.

"There's nobody there to call it home anymore." Yuffie realized her mistake, and she looked sorry for having brought it up.

"Oh… I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, you didn't know." The silent tension soon crawled back upon them. After her previous attempt, Yuffie was unsure of how to strike up a conversation again. This time Tifa took the initiative.

"Cloud…I wanna talk… about us." She said hesitantly.

"I'd rather not. As far as I'm concerned, there is no us" came his cold reply. Tifa hung her head, dejected. Lightning felt sympathy towards her, despite knowing what caused them to go their separate ways. In the short time she knew Cloud, she had never seen him act so cold towards someone, even towards the idiot that started the fiasco at school that resulted in him getting shot. Despite how much she was shocked by his reaction, she was even more so when the audible slap echoed through the mall. Yuffie stood over Cloud looking furious.

"Dammit! Stop being cruel to her! Tifa's willing to forget and go back with you! Yet you're still this cruel towards her just over a petty argument! Man up!" She yelled. The group had grabbed the attention of several passerby's. Cloud hadn't flinched from Yuffie's slap, and chuckled darkly.

"What's so funny!" Yuffie asked perplexed.

"Figures, just like you Tifa, so worried about what other people think of you that you wouldn't tell them." Cloud replied.

"What? What do you mean! Tifa!" Yuffie said, confused, looking back at Tifa seeing her expression darken. Tifa ignored her friends question.

"Don't worry Tifa, for the sake of your _reputation_ I won't reveal the truth, though I will say this Yuffie. I wish it was a petty argument just like you said. You wouldn't know how much more happier and willing I would have been to go back with her if that was the reason why we broke up." Cloud replied, standing up. He turned to Lightning before continuing. "I'm sorry Lightning for cutting it short, but I really don't want to stay here any longer."

Lightning got up as well, "It's fine, I understand." She replied, before following after him. She turned over her shoulder to see Yuffie and Tifa standing there, shocked at Cloud's reply, before leaving through the entrance.

* * *

><p>"TIFA!"<p>

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yuffie sighed and leaned her head against the bedroom door of her friend. Ever since they came back, Tifa ignored all of Yuffie's questions and had locked herself up in her room, again. _I swear, one of these days I'm gonna make a copy of that damned key_ she mused to herself. What Cloud had said swirled in her head. What really happened that Tifa wouldn't even tell her!

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><p><strong>Sorry if this chapter seemed shorter than the rest, next one's probably the longest I've written so far. Next chapter we see some school drama as well as the repercussions of this event. If you wanna find out more, you'll have to wait till next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please Review! <strong>


	10. IMPORTANT NOTICE

**Dear Readers. **

**I am sorry that I have not updated this story in the longest time. Truthfully, I had run into several mental roadblocks in further advancing the story. I'm not good at making up random events of everyday life, and was busting my head against the walls when making chapters 1-9. I branched out into other fandoms to try and improve myself and my style of writing. I thought I had posted a temporary hiatus note on this story, to notify you that no, this story was not dead. A recent PM from a reader proved me wrong, and for that, I am sorry. I am even more sorry for what I'm about to tell you readers next. All my stories will be going on temporary Hiatus due to the recent divorce of my parents and thier strenuous relationship right now. With the uncertainty of my mother's job, I have been doing all I can to help while attending school and a part time job to help both her and my younger sister to find housing in the relative future. I'm not stating this for pity, I just wanted to inform you how things are right now, and how little free time I have for writing stories. While I won't be able to post anything soon, I will record any ideas I have. I will be revising this story, which will be more focused on school drama and friendships, while I will make another Dissidia fanfic more true to its fantasy roots. Again, I am sorry dear readers, but my family comes first.**

**-Kouken9493 **


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